Transit of Cerinia
by SquidgyPlopGloop
Summary: On the forbidden planet of Cerinia Fox helps Krystal cope with her past while she fights to contain her runaway powers. But nothing lasts forever, as Captain Bill Grey is close on their heels with the help of another Cerinian subject. Meanwhile in the ruins of Zoness Falco escalates his war against rival gangs, and Slippy unearths dangerous secrets about the future of Lylat.
1. Prologue

X

Mission No. 1

Venom  
Andross's Stronghold

Prologue: The End of the Nightmare

X

 _3 Months Ago…_

 _The siege on the Empire's stronghold was nearly finished. With team Starfox's announcement that the Supreme Leader Andross had died, allied forces erupted in cheers. Their jubilation was immeasurable. In less than a year, they had gone from hunkering in Cornerian bunkers to storming the last fortress of their enemy. Andross's death signaled the defeat of Venom. Lylat could once again rest in peace. Millions of soldiers wistfully daydreamed about returning to their warm homes and loving families, relieved that they survived the most devastating conflict in Lylatian history._

 _Then Pepper urged them,_

" _A little more."_

 _They were not done yet. Through a hole in the suffocating brown clouds, they could see sunlight; bleary eyes opened to daylight's beckon, but they still lay dreaming the closing act of a nightmare._

 _From bunkers in the jagged wasteland crags, Venomian forces vomited forth like plagues of insects. At first they maintained some form of military organization, but with their Emperor dead they were too shaken to hold formation. At the first sign of allied offence their ranks crumbled. It was like striking pillars of sand._

 _As the allies circled the wasteland several divisions of elite Cornerian forces descended to the surface. They had something better to do than round up escaping Venomians. A wealth of technological advancements and scientific breakthroughs now lay entombed beneath the cracked desert surface. That is, if any of it was left by the time they got there._

 _Through the central shaft Starfox had penetrated to confront Andross, black smoke billowed into the sky like ink blooming in water. Cornerian Central Intelligence warned that the Emperor's death would likely trigger an automatic self-destruct sequence in many of his labs, as well as a manual scorched earth operation carried out by his most loyal generals and scientists. Andross proclaimed the order in what he called the "Zero Decree." Nothing of value was to fall into Cornerian hands, even after his death._

 _This also applied to any off-world territory under Venom's control._

 _Joint groups of Cornerian shock troopers and bomb squads lead the way into Venom's heart. The soldiers stamped out enemy stragglers and arrested scientists while the bomb squads did their best to neutralize the self-destruct mechanisms. In many cases it was already too late. The squads would find themselves standing on ledges of gaping holes that opened back out onto the wasteland, or come up against dead ends in underground tunnels that had been caved-in._

 _They, of course, were the lucky ones._

 _The soldiers that found their targets often wished they hadn't. Many came back from Venom scarred from the unspeakable horrors they'd found beneath the surface._

 _At the head of one such group was Commander Bill Grey. He lead a landing party made up of personally-selected troops from both Husky and Bulldog units to scour the Eastern complexes for any salvageable tech. From his observations, most experiments had ceased before the final invasion. Save for a few unrecognizable corpses gutted on the operating tables. They didn't even seem Lylatian anymore._

 _And then Bill found him._

 _His visor's HUD identified the scientist as Dr. Werner von Liebegute. The baboon cowered behind a control panel, lying face down over the arrays of buttons and switches. He was…whimpering._

 _Bill approached the scientist, but froze when he noticed the broken safety glass and the doctor's clenched fist striking the large red button underneath._

 _The self-destruct switch! But why wasn't it working?_

 _Von Liebegute let out a soulful wail, only weakly pressing the button now. With his men likewise frozen behind him, Bill decided to take advantage of the malfunction. He cautiously approached the doctor until he was upon him. The baboon hardly offered any resistance as he removed him from the panel and cuffed his hands behind him; he only sobbed freely._

" _Patterson, Randal; trace the wires and find what went wrong. We need to make sure it's not just a temporary delay."_

 _The two members of the bomb squad nodded and rushed over to the control panel, using their equipment to follow the electrical current. At least, what its path should have been._

 _Bill followed closely behind, looking over their shoulders. The two men swept their sensors across the floor and along the wall. Their short pilgrimage took them out of the systems room and down another dark, grime-covered hallway. Eventually,_ _Randal_ _stopped in front of a locked door._

" _Sir, I found the explosives, but…there was no break in the wire."_

" _What? You better cut in there to make sure."_

 _At his bidding, the two used energy saws to cut through the laboratory wall. Inside they located and removed a pack of explosives, carefully separating it from the trigger wires._

" _There's no explaining it sir. By every right, the first time the baboon pressed that button, this lab should've been blown sky-high."_

" _Are you saying…?"_

" _It's nothing short of a miracle, sir."_

 _Bill let out a fractured, shaky sigh, reeling from how close to he and his men had come to death. He scratched his chin and studied the door to the left of the explosives cache._

" _Hack the lock. Maybe our answer lies behind there."_

 _Once the door was unlocked Bill gestured for his men to wait outside. With his commando blaster raised to his cheek he rounded the corner and slid into the eerie darkness._

 _What he found in the ashes changed him._

 _Many of the men asked why they didn't just bomb the labs and be done with them. They shared the general feeling that Andross's work was inherently evil and should be left alone. The higher-ups explained that all of Lylat was in ruins, and Venom owed reparations. Anything that would speed along the reconstruction process. Lylat was hurting from its war scars, in danger of bleeding to death. Even with Andross's defeat, they were desperately in need of a healing savior, a person to lead Lylat out of the ashes of war._

 _Now, standing before a glass tank inhabited by a breathtaking, otherworldly vixen, Bill new in his heart…_

 _…that he had found Lylat's savior._

Arc I: Lylat, From the Ashes


	2. Enter Starfox

_(Rated M for language, violence, mature themes, and sexual content)_

X

Mission No. 2

Corneria  
Westport Outskirts

Enter Starfox

X

 _Present Day…_

An onyx-shelled scorpion skittered out onto a flat rock. It was a hot day, and the heat caused the air to boil and simmer above the yellow-baked soil. The desert was quiet except for the calls of grasshoppers and other insects, and the scorpion had climbed out of its hole for such prey. Normally it would have waited until nightfall to hunt, but something was off. The creature felt it deep within its hovel; a low vibration that disturbed the otherwise tranquil wilderness. The rumbling grew louder. The ground shook around the arachnid. In an instant a vast shadow engulfed the creature's earthen porch, and a mechanical roaring swooped directly above it. The scorpion cowered in fear-

"WOOOO!"

Fox sat behind the wheel of an absurdly-large monster truck, feeling the exhilaration from the wind blasting through the windows. It felt more exciting than flying even an arwing; the movement was more restricted, but at least he could directly _feel_ how fast the vehicle moved. Killjoy G-diffusors. Fox loved the barriers; the restrictions. The fact that he _couldn't_ go wherever he wanted, and was at the mercy of elements out of his control. Paradoxically he found the lack of freedom liberating.

The feeling also might've had something to do with him only wearing a pair of boxer trunks.

Fox reached out the window, feeling the wind rip through the tufts of fur on his arm. He slapped the outside of the vehicle's door, feeling how slick and new it felt. He had only rented the beast on a whim earlier that day. Of course shortly after getting his paws on the vehicle, he took the liberty of customizing it in his own image, even if the motor company would be pissed. He sprayed his team's winged fox logo in red paint on the driver's door and the hood, but by the time he got to the passenger side he was frustrated with how his artwork came out (and also a little inebriated), so he gave up and sprayed on a crudely-shaped dick instead.

At that moment the truck crested a sandy hill and launched into the air; the front half of the vehicle tipped upwards as the hind wheels rotated down.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" the fennec fox strapped into the passenger seat screamed, once the vehicle reached the top of its jump. During that brief instant it seemed like time had stopped, and they were floating mid air. Then...they began to descend.

The truck's rear wheels touched down first, causing the front end to snap back to the ground as well. The two foxes were thrown forward in their seats, but their belts caught them and whipped their torsos back. Boy would he sue that dune for whiplash.

"Whatssamatter Fara?" he slurred. "Too much for yah? I thought you tested shhhips for daddy."

Fara's grip on his shoulder and her arm rest turned her knuckles white while she hung on for dear life.

"Fox, please! Stop this thing right now! You're drunk!"

"Aw don't be such a…a…party-pooper," he teased her. But when he went for the beer bottle next to his seat Fara grabbed his wrist. She nearly shouted in his face this time.

"I'm not enjoying this _one bit_ Fox! Pull over before someone gets hurt!"

Fox wrenched his hand and the bottle free, but overcompensated and spilled some out his window. "No one'sss gonna get hurt! Now leggo, there'ss a highway comin' up."

Fara snapped her head around to stare at the desert in front of them.

"Oh no…" she whimpered.

While the road was out of the way on Corneria's east coast, there still were ample motorists for Fox to properly terrorize. Fara covered her eyes with her paws a mere instant before Fox crossed onto the highway.

When Foxed noticed her hiding, he waved a hand in front of her face. "Oh you can come out now. Isssall okay."

Fara tentatively peeked through her fingers, then let out a relieved sigh that they hadn't crashed.

…Only to notice that they had turned onto the highway and were headed towards incoming traffic.

"No, Fox! Why?! Just why?!"

"Isssjuss like old times!" he exclaimed, leaning forward over the wheel and licking his lips. The incoming cars and trucks had taken on the form of asteroids and space debris, and he wove back and forth between the lanes to dodge them.

When Fox seemed to be engaging an oncoming truck in a game of chicken, Fara took matters into her own hands. She dove across Fox's lap and grabbed the steering wheel, jerking it clockwise to pull them back off the road.

"Hey-heyyy! Now's not the time to get frisssky," Fox said as he playfully batted Fara back. Then after hiccuping he belted out, "Fara take the whee-ee-eeel!"

His breath washed over Fara's face, and she gagged at the strong odor of alcohol. She gave up controlling the wheel and hunkered down in her own seat again.

"Fine, if you're gonna get nasty about it, I won't play in traffic!" Fox's face took on a dark expression and he leered at Fara from the corner of his eye.

"Oh thank god!" Fara exclaimed as the wailing of sirens reached her ears.

Fox looked startled upon hearing the noise. He checked the mirrors and craned his neck to see behind them.

"Aw shit! Bogeys on our sixthshhh!" He shook Fara's leg to get her attention. Fara meanwhile leaned out the window and waved encouragingly to the police.

Fox desperately searched over the controls on the driver's side. "Now howdoya get this behemoth to roll?"

"Fox?" Fara said in a pleasant voice (though if he'd been more sober he would've realized it was close to breaking.) "The police are here. They just want to help you. Why don't you be a good hero and pull over?"

Fox's jaw hung open a moment as he processed. "Oh, it's just the mutts. Probably wanna pin some more metals on me, heh heh. Well lettem have their fun! Itsssh how they get their rockshh off."

At long last Fox slammed on the breaks and brought the horrible carnival ride of a monster truck to a halt. Fara opened her door and dropped to the ground, immediately vomiting. Fox's foot got caught beneath his seat, and he ended up falling face-first into the sand five feet below. When he looked up he saw two pairs of Cornerian police boots planted in front of him.

"Well boys, howzit goin'? Just breaking in Starfox's new vehicle; the Foxster Truck. Er, the Desert Fox? Maybe you can help me…"

The two canines stared pitifully down at Fox.

"Well, let's hope the media doesn't get wind of this…"

X

A few hours later, Fox sat with his head pressed up against a pair of prison bars, his ear wedged between them. He was finally sober again…mostly…and trying to make out the last few words of a conversation taking place around the corner.

"Yes sir…yes sir, I promise it won't happen again." A hare's voice, the twang of which Fox recognized well. "No sir, I'll make sure of it this time. I-I know you can't keep on pulling favors like this. I'm ready to take extreme measures. Trust me, I have it all figured out…What? No I'll let it be a surprise. But I will have a talk with him. Gee, thanks Pepper, I owe you one. 'Fact I owe you a whole lot. But remember, Lylat owes this boy a whole lot more. What? There won't be a Lylat much longer if…Well I don't think it's _that_ bad, but I'll put a stop to it. And I'm sure Fox will be extremely sorry for this incident. Okay, I'll try to visit you sometime soon. Bye Pepper. Here, I'll put the sergeant back on."

At those last words Fox scurried away from the bars and sat down on the cell cot. His rear touched down and he assumed a natural pose mere seconds before the hare in question came into view. He stopped in front of the bars, standing tall with his hands in his pockets. The two stared at each other in silence.

"Afternoon, Fox."

"Uh, hi Uncle Peppy."

Fox scratched his neck awkwardly. He looked around the rather bland cell; anywhere else besides Peppy's piercing red eyes. He tried focusing on his clothing; he still wore the standard outfit of a white flight jacket and red jumpsuit, as if at anytime he was ready to jump back into his Arwing once Fox gave the word. Fox, on the other hand, was not so formally dressed.

"Watcha up to these days?" the hare said with a straight face.

Fox shrugged, still not meeting his eyes.

"Oh uh, you know. Same-old same-old. Taking it easy. Seeing the countryside."

Peppy raised an eyebrow, but otherwise his expression didn't change.

When the silence became unbearable, Fox finally blurted out, "Look, Peppy, I-"

But his mentor slammed his paw against the bars, which echoed with a loud clang.

"Gosh darnit Fox I can't keep saving your hide like this!"

Fox winced and cowered back at Peppy's outburst, but the onslaught continued.

"You know how you felt whenever Slip did something stupid 'n you had to save him? 'Cause that's how I feel right about now! Every week you do something bigger and stupider than the week before!"

He began counting off his fingers.

"Parking in handicap spots like you're the king of the world, eating every free sample in Catsco, late night social media rants, graffitiing the Westport Hills sign, streaking through your neighborhood, illegal drug possession, and now driving a monster truck through traffic! Fox how much more will you escalate this?! It'll only be so long before someone gets hurt. I was just on the phone with Pepper (once again, I might add)! and he said that Lylat's out of the frying pan and into the fire! That you rescued us from Venom only to endanger everyone yourself! You can only get away with so much being Lylat's hero, Fox, or before you know it you're gonna be the crazy floating head while some courageous young-un shoots your brains out 'n becomes Lylat's new poster child. Now I've about had enough of awkward calls to Pepper pleading with him to pull some strings and get you off the hook, so the next time you do something foolish enough to land yourself in the hoosegow, I won't lift a finger to save you. Do you hear me boy? Maybe some time behind bars will simmer you down and teach ya some discipline."

It was a critical hit.

During Peppy's unfiltered attack, Fox's ears had flattened back against his skull. "Peppy, I'm sorry I let something like this happen again. I promise you I won't get into anymore serious trouble. I swear! I agree that my behavior is inexcusable and, well…trashy. It was really immature of me."

The hare played with his collar, sighed, and shook his head. "Well, you _are_ only 19 Fox. I know it's hard achieving fame and fortune so early on in life and not knowing what to do with it. But I'd hate to see you go the way of so many other kid celebrities like you. Anyway…"

Peppy reached behind him and withdrew a plastic bag full of clothes. As the guard looked on, he squeezed it through the bars and into Fox's awaiting hands.

"Brought you some clothes. Stopped by your house on the way over here after I heard all the…heh heh, juicy details."

Fox began yanking the new change of clothes on over his beer-stained boxers.

"So, you stopped by the house? Was Fara back yet?"

Peppy looked down and scuffed his foot against the cement floor. "As a matter o' fact she was. She…looked mighty angry."

"Haha, well, I kind of expected that."

X

When Fox was finished dressing, the guard let him out, and the two of them walked off the premises. When Fox stepped outside the light nearly blinded him. He raised an elbow to shield against the sun, squinting to make out what lay ahead of him.

"Can I give ya a ride home?"

Fox shook his head and began thumbing through an app on his phone. "No, that's okay. I've been enough trouble for one day. I'll grab a taxi."

Peppy shrugged, heading to his car. "Well, suit yourself. If you need me I'll be in my office."

Fox waited outside the local police station for a scant five minutes before a self-driven hovercar pulled up in front. He got in the driver seat but didn't touch the wheel. Instead he reclined the seat back and cross his arms behind his head.

"19776 Oceanside Drive, Westport."

With a low, nearly inaudible hum, the hovercar left the curb and began navigating the best route to Fox's house. Fox sprawled over the seat, lifting his feet onto the dashboard. He hated having to prostrate himself before Peppy like that. It sure hurt his pride, but he had to admit some of his most recent decisions weren't the brightest. Perhaps he'd keep under the radar for awhile; at least until Peppy and Pepper forgot about his latest caper.

Westport was a relaxed city on the opposite side of the continent from Corneria City. Fox preferred it to the towering skyscrapers and cramped spaces of the planet's capital. While much smaller, the city was the center of the entertainment industry and the most popular vacation destination on the planet. It also allowed him to get away from the political sphere and all the celebratory events that plagued him immediately after the war. Though he enjoyed basking in all the attention for a time, it became repetitive and more of a drag. So, he chose escape.

He watched as a row of palm trees lining the boulevard passed in single file. A roadside convenience store caught his attention at the same moment his stomach growled, and he realized he hadn't had something to eat since morning.

"Pull over at the Stop-n-Go," Fox ordered.

The hovercar did as it was told and pulled off the boulevard, parking in front of the gas station to let Fox off. The vulpine entered the store and scoured the shelves for some food. He grabbed a bag of spicy mixed nuts and a bottle of Coke, though a new soda he saw on the shelf looked rather tempting. 'Whimsy Cola', the brightly-colored labels read. Came in four fruity flavors, too. Maybe he'd try it sometime.

Approaching the front counter, Fox suddenly panicked. He patted his shirt and pants pockets down, but couldn't find a pair of sunglasses on them. Nor did he have one of several baseball caps to cover his head. He used both items to lay low in public, and it was a pity he possessed neither at the moment. Still, it was a miracle that he had any clothes at all considering his latest escapade.

Fox held his breath as the young canine cashier looked up from his phone to study him. He squinted a bit, but ultimately shook his head slightly. His pessimistic outlook told him the chances of a customer being _the_ Fox McCloud were too slim. The golden retriever returned to browsing social media on his phone while Fox checked himself out.

The vulpine swiped his card and went to sign for it as usual…but something went wrong. The register beeped in annoyance and wouldn't proceed to the signature screen.

Fox frowned and swiped again, but elicited a similar result.

"Uh, can you help me figure out what's going on here?"

Hiding his irritation, the retriever slid off his stool and examined the monitor on his side of the register.

"Well that's funny. Says here your account doesn't have enough funds."

"Not enough funds!?" Fox exclaimed. "For spicy _peanuts?_ You gotta be kidding me. I have hundreds of thousands of credits left in there. There's gotta be a glitch in the system."

After thumbing through some options on his side, the cashier advised, "Why don't you try sliding it again?"

Fox swiped his card for the third time, but the result was no different.

"There's no mistake. This is your account alright. Your remaining funds are…0.00 creds. Looks like your account is completely empty."

Fox's jaw lolled open. What were the chances of this happening to Fox heckin' McCloud?

Then everything clicked.

"I'm gonna kill him."

The gold-furred canine was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

Fox slammed his fist down on the counter. "I said I'm gonna kill him!...But first," he reached into his wallet and pulled out three plastic credit notes. He couldn't forget his peanuts and soda.

"Keep the change. And buy yourself a pair of glasses you myopic dipshit."

X

Twenty minutes later Fox burst into Peppy's office, located in Starfox's smaller Westport headquarters.

"What did you do with it Peppy!?" he demanded.

The hare folded his hands in front of his mouth, but Fox saw through his ploy to keep a straight face.

"What did I do with what?"

"Don't play games with me Uncle. What did you do with the money? Did you blow it all on prune juice and-and museum passes?"

"Not exactly. You can be sure that money was well spent."

Fox marched over to Peppy's desk and jammed an accusatory finger in his face. "So you admit that you _did_ spend it all!"

Peppy nodded. "Every last cent. I used the rest of our LCW contract reward to pay off the loan on the Great Fox _._ You do know how long it was gonna take to pay it off, don't you?"

Fox rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah I know. I'd be dead by the time it was finished. But you can't just spend my money, Peppy. I'm 19 and you're not my guardian anymore. It's _my_ money!" He emphatically tapped his finger on Peppy's desk mat.

Peppy removed his glasses and began polishing them with the hem of his shirt. "That's where you're wrong, sonny. It's _Starfox's_ money."

Fox threw his arms up. "So?! I _am_ Starfox! The team's in the McCloud family name! You're just my godfather."

While Fox was complaining, Peppy accessed some files on his desktop monitor. Once he found what he was looking for he turned the screen for Fox to see, revealing a legal document. "Ya see this Fox? It's a copy of your father's last will and testament. His wishes for the apportioning of Starfox is for you to be the team leader in his stead, while I continue to be the treasurer. I have full rights to the management of Starfox's funds, and since I spent it on Starfox-related matters there's no lawsuit you can bring against me."

Fox began angrily pacing about the room. He waved his hand dismissively. "Pssh! That…that proves nothing! I'll just get a lawyer."

Peppy raised his bushy eyebrows. " _Seriously_ Fox, a _lawyer?_ You don't even know how to file your own taxes."

Fox placed his hands on his hips and mumbled, "Of all the sneaky, backstabbing…"

While the tod fumed in silence, Peppy sighed and got up from his desk. He positioned himself around it and sat on the front, facing Fox.

"Look, sonny, I did this for your own good. I really want you to understand that. Pepper's patience with your antics is running thin, and he can only give you a 'get out of jail free' card so many times before he thinks he was wrong about you to begin with. I had to promise I'd do something extreme this time Fox, or he'd never have let you leave. So I spent all of the remaining funds on something productive and worthwhile. All of that loan's interest would've broken our furry asses later down the line, and now I've eliminated that threat looming over our heads."

"Yeah, and now you've left me completely broke," the young tod spat venom over his shoulder.

"You're gonna hate me for this, but that's why I did it. No more Tom-foolery with Starfox's funds! No more gallivanting around taking advantage of people's goodwill for the hero that saved them. No more…self destruction! You understand, right Fox?"

Finally the vulpine turned around and faced him. Reluctantly he sat on the armrest of a leather chair.

"I'm listening. What's your plan for me now that I'm broke?"

"You've got two options Fox. Well, three."

"Shoot."

"Alright. The first is to continue running the Starfox team. Get Falco and Slippy's tails back here, and we can continue looking for work together. It'll be business as usual, as a proper PMC. There are plenty of government contracts open for cleaning up the remnants of Andross's forces. And a lot of private companies need armed escorts to guard against pirates taking advantage of the chaos."

Fox noted Peppy's signature flight jacket and jumpsuit. "I see you clearly want this option. Want it to be just like old times, eh, Uncle?"

Peppy's nose twitched. "Fox, you're 19. What we did three months ago hardly qualifies as 'old times.' And no, my livelihood does not depend on you choosin' this option. I would also be thrilled if you went back to Flight Academy and completed your training like Bill did. They've offered you a full scholarship, so money isn't an object. You may have saved Lylat, but you still have a lot to learn when it comes to aerial combat."

Fox examined his nails absently. "And the third option?"

"Quit Starfox. Sell the team's brand to a larger PMC. Leave me and your friends behind. Sell your house, buy an apartment. Learn a new trade. Get a job and work like any normal civilian. Become independent of me in every way. Which is honestly the hardest of the three; probably more difficult than winning the Lylat Wars, even. And because of the fact that…"

When Peppy trailed off, Fox's ears perked up.

"…Because you'd never speak to me again?"

Peppy tried hard to keep his face resolute, but he couldn't hide his moistening eyes.

Fox hated himself. He stared at the floor as he thought over how impossible and irresponsible he'd been over the last couple months. He _knew_ Peppy had a point. And it was coming from a genuine place of care and love. Deep down, Fox knew Peppy wasn't some control freak, nor one of those dickish instructors he'd had back at the academy. He only wanted the best for Fox. After all, he was his godfather, and he'd treated Fox like his own son. Why couldn't he just grow up…

"Aw geez Peppy. I'm 100% planning on doing one of those things eventually. Either go back to the academy or find some new jobs, but…can't you give me a little break? For heck's sake, I just saved all of the goddamn Lylat not too long ago. I need more time to recuperate and catch my breath!"

But Peppy shook his head, causing his ears to waggle. "Fox, you've been consumed by your success. It's gone to your head. You mistakenly think that killing Andross and saving the Lylat System were the highlights of your life. After all, you spent two years training for that very purpose after dropping out of the Academy. But now that it's over…" Peppy's voice softened and he leaned in closer to Fox. "Have you thought about what you're going to do now that Andross is dead? You checked everything off your bucket list. You avenged both your parents. You accomplished these goals at a very early age; you have your whole _life_ ahead of you!"

Fox looked down and rubbed his forehead. "I…I dunno Peppy. I honestly don't know what I want to do."

"Well maybe I can help," the hare continued. "Your father started an ambitious mercenary company. That's his legacy, Fox, and it's up to you to carry it on. It's your job to fulfill his wishes and make something out of Starfox so it wasn't just a short flash in the pan. Starfox needs to live on."

Peppy slid off the desk and stood over Fox, planting a finger squarely in his chest.

"James Fox McCloud, you have to confront your father's legacy head-on. You can't keep running forever."

Fox stared up at his godfather in disbelief. His head was a whirlwind of contradictory emotions that he couldn't sort out for the life of him, but his gut instinct said _no._

"I can't?" he said in a quiet voice. "Watch me, _Gramps_."

Before Peppy could stop him Fox rose from the chair and bolted out of the office.

X

When Fox finally arrived back at his house – nay, his rich playboy mansion – he was in for another surprise.

The luxuriant estate he purchased with his personal share of the rewards was located in the beach-front suburbs. It sat right atop the dunes that overlooked the beach and ocean. As he had found out at parties, several of his neighbors were rather acclaimed movie stars and musicians.

The mansion was modern in design, with white blocky architecture reminiscent of Corneria City and copious amounts of glass walls. It came replete with all the excessive luxuries of modern life, including a picturesque swimming pool overlooking the ocean, a gym, and a sauna, to name a few of the amenities. Palm trees and cacti lined the private drive up to his columned porch, but something rather large blocked his view.

To be precise, a moving truck.

"What in the world is…" Fox mumbled to himself. For some reason he had an awful sinking feeling in his stomach.

As soon as the automated vehicle stopped beside the small truck, the tod jumped out and raced to the open back. Two or three of the moving crew were carrying boxes and luggage from inside his house and loading them into the rear bay. Rushing to one of the boxes, Fox pulled it open to discover a wardrobe of folded, expensive dresses packed away.

"What-what's going on here?" he asked one of the crew.

The badger handed another mover a box. "We're moving someone out. One Ms. Phoenix?"

"Holy crap…"

Fox gazed in awe at the amount of items scattered in his driveway and in the back of the truck. It was hard to believe Fara kept so much shit at his house, but then again it _was_ Fara.

Who was moving out.

"No, this can't be happening." Fox rubbed his temples. "There must be some mistake. I-I gotta find Fara…"

Fox ran inside, squeezing past another pair of movers carrying a piano out his front door. _That_ was Fara's? He honestly didn't know at this point. She could totally be robbing him blind.

Once inside he yelled "FARA!" at the top of his lungs. He yelled her name up the stairs to the second floor and down the stairs to the basement, but received no answer. Finally upon sprinting through the living room he noticed the door to the pool deck was open, so he rushed back outside.

He was immediately hit by a blast of unfettered sea air, and the nearby roaring of the waves. The electric blue-tiled pool lay immediately in front of him, but once again Fara was nowhere to be seen. She had to be out here somewhere; Fox was vigilant about closing the door.

He circled around the pool, craning his neck to scan the beach below. Finally he saw a lone figure standing at the end of the private pier. Losing no time, he ran down the steps to the beach and clambered onto the wooden pier. He raced to the end, but pulled up at the last second.

The young fennec had her back to him, and was staring out over the ocean. She wore her usual color pallet; a backless lime-green blouse, white short shorts, and a purple gossamer wrap around her bare shoulders. The dark azure ocean framed her on either side, and the towering clouds in the afternoon sky burned dual shades of pink and blue above her.

In his heart he realized this could be the last image he'd see of Fara for a long while.

"Hey, Fox," she quietly said.

Tentatively, Fox joined her by the railing.

"Fara…what are you doing?"

She hesitated before answering.

"We need a change, Fox. The both of us. In short, I'm leaving you for the present."

"You're… _dumping_ me?" he asked in silent horror.

"Well, I mean, if you insist on putting it that way…" She glanced at him from the corner of her emerald eyes. "Yes."

Fox fumbled over his words. "But-but why?!"

"How can you still ask that after what happened today?" The fennec began playing with her purple shawl. "You're a-a-a liability to the company's image at the moment. Drunk-driving a monster truck around populated areas is frankly irresponsible of you. I had a talk with my father and he thought it would be best if-"

"Don't you love me?" Fox interrupted, his voice close to fracturing.

"Fox, of course I love you! It's just that, well, you're not acting yourself lately. You're not acting like Fox McCloud. At least, not the Fox McCloud I fell in love with years ago. It's like the real you has been kidnapped and replaced by some imposter like in one of those old sci-fi shows. Ever since you defeated Andross you've been acting aimlessly. Like you no longer have purpose."

Fox's fists clenched.

"You lost that fire you had in your eyes back when you first saved me and my father from those outlaws. Whenever we met afterwards for a date, whenever you stopped by Phoenix Corp for equipment, that flame was there, burning bright." She turned to face him and began searching his eyes. "But now that fire is gone."

Fox grit his teeth before responding. "Look, I don't know what more you and-and everyone else want. What more can I give that I already haven't given? I can't very well save you and your dad or the _entire Lylat System_ every week like some sappy kids show! Fara, Fara I'm already a goddamned superhero! I saved the Lylat!"

But Fara closed her eyes and shook her head. "You don't get it, Fox. That's not why I fell in love with you, because I was some damsel in distress you happened to save and now I have to be eternally grateful. I didn't fall in love with the boy who saved me or the Lylat. I fell in love with the boy who _wanted_ to save the Lylat! Now that passion is gone; that fire I fell for years ago. It's burned itself out, and you have none left. No ambition, no more dreams. You're just floating along, drifting aimlessly through life. If something threatened the world again, I'm not even sure you would answer the call."

Her eyes caught something behind Fox, and she waved in the direction of his house. Fox looked over his shoulder to see the moving badger waving from his pool deck, signaling that they were ready.

Fox clasped Fara's hands in his, intertwining their fingers. He stared into her eyes, trying to hold back his tears. Fara had been his first love; the only person so far he'd been intimate with. After the death of his father and absence of a mother, he found himself growing more and more attached to Fara. He felt so powerless when he was unable to save his parents, but he regained his confidence after rescuing Fara. In fact, that newfound confidence she gave him was directly responsible for him taking leadership of Starfox and saving Lylat. But now, in the span of a single day, his muse was slipping away…

"Will I see you again?" he asked in a whisper.

"I don't know, Fox. I don't know. I truly hope so. But it all depends on _you._ "

She withdrew her hands from Fox's and straightened out her blouse. "I better get going. So…bye for now."

Before leaving, she tilted Fox's head down, stood on tiptoes, and planted a kiss on his forehead.

As the sound of her footsteps striking the wooden planks faded away, Fox forced himself not to watch her go. Instead he stared at the sea until he was sure she was gone.

The urge to throw himself into the waves ate away at him, but he knew it was a dumb idea and would pass momentarily. With the clouds turning pink and purple, Fox turned and walked back to his house.

He needed to get his mind off of…everything, so he decided on calling Falco. That delinquent always had a way of cheering him up when things went sour. Falco didn't answer, so he left a message asking him to come over whenever he could.

After an evening like that, Fox no longer had much of an appetite. He stretched out on his couch, watching TV and chowing down on the spicy peanuts he'd bought.

Man, all that stress was taking a toll on him. He felt the early harbinger of a migraine buzzing behind his eyes, so he hunted around the kitchen cabinets for his medication. Locating the brownish-orange bottle he unscrewed the child-safety cap and upended the container, but only two pills tumbled out into his awaiting palm. He probably needed to save one for tomorrow, but…Fuck it, he thought. He could use a double dose for once. He'd buy more tomorrow, or maybe there was another bottle lying around his house.

Tilting his head back he catapulted the capsules into his mouth, downing a glass of water afterwards. The pills were bitter at first, with a briny, sour aftertaste. Maybe he should have called Marjorie, his therapist; she was usually good for confiding in, but the wounds were too fresh now. He needed to be alone.

Fox stumbled through the dimly lit living room back to his couch and crashed. After stripping back down he pulled a throw blanket over his frame and placed a pillow on the armrest, upon which he lay his head. He left the TV on, which wasn't a problem. The glorified droning helped him fall asleep.

The double-dosage did its work, and soon enough Fox felt light-headed. In fact, his whole body felt numb and peaceful. It was the only respite he had all day.

Soon he was snoring away, still except for the rising and falling of his chest.

X

 _In._

 _Out._

 _Slow and rhythmic._

 _She felt the sensation of floating effortlessly._

 _Her arms and legs felt weak, and had trouble moving at all, as if in thick water._

 _The liquid caressing her skin was neither cool nor warm._

 _It matched her own temperature perfectly, to the point where she couldn't tell where she ended and the fluid began._

 _She opened her eyes and stared through the pale blue liquid._

 _A gathering of figures dressed in long white clothes stared up at her, studying._

 _With much difficulty she reached out her hand to them, but it struck against an invisible barrier._

 _She ran her hands along the smooth, impenetrable surface, but it surrounded her and the liquid, only giving her enough room to float upright in._

 _Focusing closer on the barrier, she noticed_ _another figure, standing between her and the people below._

 _It was ghostly and distorted, seeming to mimic her every action._

 _She tilted her head, and the woman moved hers as well._

 _Reflecting between her and the white-robbed figures was a strange, blue-furred vixen._

 _She raised her hand to reach out to it, and their paws met against the harsh glass._

 _It was only herself._

 _She was imprisoned alone._

 _She began to panic, struggling to move in her confined cage._

 _Her heart beat accelerated and her breathing became ragged._

 _The people outside her prison whispered among themselves, and one danced his hands across a strange-looking box._

 _A sickly-sweet smell washed into her nose through the tubes and mask connected to her muzzle._

 _Slowly she felt a soothing calm spill over her mind and body like a cloud._

 _She was once again floating._

 _Deep and rhythmic._

 _In._

 _Out._

1st dose: fl. t. ng


	3. Good Intentions

X

Mission No. 3

Corneria  
McCloud Residence

Good Intentions

X

 _When Fox's eyes opened the world seemed fuzzy and warm. Light poured in through the bedroom curtains, which burned with a translucent gold glow._

 _Morning, he thought, but he still felt light and airy. A certain calmness lay over him. In fact it wasn't calmness at all, but a blanket; the fluffy white quilt covering his bed._

 _And he wasn't alone._

 _Fox twisted over onto his side and came face-to-face with a beautiful fennec fox lying next to him. Her head and bare shoulders poked out above the covers, while the sheets left a tempting amount of cleavage exposed. From her voluminous ears to her pointed snout and bronze fur, Fox could easily recognize her through his dreariness._

" _Hello, Fox," Fara cooed, fixing her green doe eyes on him._

" _Fara…" Fox groggily mumbled in return. Then as he remembered the events of the day prior, he added, "What are you still doing here? I thought you left."_

 _Fara giggled, reaching out under the covers and playing with the tufts of fur on his chest. "You didn't think I'd leave you over some silly rebellious pranks, now would you? Our love runs much deeper than that."_

" _You mean you're staying?" Fox's ears perked up. "Really?"_

" _I decided to give you one more chance," she informed him, "Since I know you can't resist me." And to prove herself right, she slid underneath the covers towards Fox, and the two embraced. The tod sighed, glad to be reunited with his love. He lovingly caressed her shoulder blades and the small of her back._

" _Mmmm," Fara murred._

 _Then, her ear twitched._

" _Fox…there's crumbs in your bed."_

 _He stopped fondling the vixen. "Huh?"_

 _Fara slid back, placing some space between herself and Fox._

" _Fox, this is disgusting! What the hell!"_

 _Fox looked at the patch of bed between the two fox's chests, horrified to see it entirely covered in a carpet of spicy peanuts._

"AAAAAAH!"

Suddenly awaking, Fox flipped off the couch and fell onto the living room floor. He rubbed his head and muttered, "Aw, geez…"

Sure enough, he lay in a pile of spilled peanuts.

He sat upright and rubbed his head. "Remind me never to take a double-dosage like that again."

It hadn't even been a day since Fara dumped him, and already he was having dreams about her. It was like his mind was doing everything in its power to convince himself she hadn't left. But he couldn't escape that fact forever.

Sitting up on the sofa, and brushing some flavor-dusted nuts off the cushion, Fox checked his phone. Falco had sent a short text:

 _Got your message._

 _Will bring something to get your mind off you-know-what._

 _Be presentable by 12._

Fox looked up at the clock on the mantle, without realizing he could've read it off his phone. He squinted through the morning grog to see it was 11:42. God, he felt like such a slob. And the fact that his stomach felt sick only reinforced how disgusted he felt with himself. He needed a reason to get up early. A job. A hobby. A girl. _Something._ But enough with the self-deprecation; he had to get ready for Falco. Not that he had to impress him or anything. Both the avian and Slippy had lived with each other for several years and spent many months aboard the Great Fox together. None of them could care less about tidiness or hygiene. It was always Peppy who nagged them to pick things up and mop the floors. And Peppy was no longer around…

Shrugging, Fox decided to leave the mess and not bother to put on more clothes. Falco wouldn't care that he was wearing boxers and a T-shirt. But he at least had to get that nightly stench from his mouth. Truly the breath of nightmares.

Fox padded upstairs, momentarily descending again with a toothbrush covered in minty paste. He plopped down on the couch, flipping through the HV channels until he landed on one of many news stations. Cornerian News Network. Did he trust them? Who gave a heck. All that mattered was that it occupied him while he brushed his teeth.

Currently a white-furred stoat with glasses was speaking, while a text crawl inched by beneath his head.

"…Incumbent Roland D. Finley recently secured a fourth term in office, now two terms more than any of his predecessors. Experts attribute his victory to his unwavering leadership during the Lylat War. But what is next for the president? Finley says he plans to make good on his campaign promises to help Corneria – and the rest of the Lylat System – recover from war. Others criticize the president for promising too much. Lylat is in a dire situation; a system-wide unemployment average of 25%, several big bank closures, and many businesses having declared bankruptcy."

A second video screen displayed next to the stoat's head, showing a weathered Aberdeen Terrier with greying hair. He spoke behind a podium mounted before a sea of supporters, all waving signs with his name and campaign slogans.

"President Finley has proposed drastic measures to combat the crisis, including ending the gold standard, government guarantee of jobs through public projects, and secure unemployment funds for retirees or people alienated from the workforce. But business magnate Morgan P. Fredersen has critiqued the president's policies in a recent interview with our network."

The stoat disappeared completely, replaced by suit-clad bull. He had a rather inflamed red nose, but his furrowed brow and piercing brown eyes immediately drew anyone's attention away.

"Finley is an idealist," he said in a firm but down-to-earth voice. "It's disappointing that his lofty promises have fooled so many of the Cornerian populace, as they are ultimately harmful to recovery efforts and self-destructive. Leaving the gold standard is perhaps the most idiotic of his choices. That's just asking for inflation, especially with his run-away government spending. I also have to question how many terms Finley plans on serving? When will he accede to another leader? Without proper term limits, we risk becoming one of those other Lylatian countries with unaccountable dictators at the helm."

The screen returned to the bespectacled stoat. "Corporate lobbyists are pushing against-"

But Fox's mouth was overflowing with toothpaste lather, so he muted the HV and returned upstairs to rinse. Politics had become so bland after the election. Whatever useless policies were being argued over had no effect on him; after all, he was loaded.

At least…he used to be.

The moment he finished rinsing, the doorbell chimed. He took his time padding down the stairs, then opened the front door. On his columned porch stood Falco, his good-natured rival and perhaps closest friend. The falcon had his head feathers slicked back with feather gel, shaping them to be more aerodynamic than even an Arwing. He wore a loud button-down shirt stitched with a red floral pattern, but was unbuttoned to his white undershirt beneath. Cargo shorts and flip-flops completed his tourist look. Yeah, the Cornerian west coast had that effect on non-natives.

What surprised Fox was that he wasn't alone. Falco had his wings around the shoulders of two attractive young women; one a peach-furred feline, the other a sly-looking black fox. Both wore denim short-shorts and bikini tops, with towels draped over their shoulders.

"Oh…Falco," Fox stuttered.

The falcon chuckled. "I know, I'm on time for once! I see you weren't expecting me," he added, nodding at Fox's attire.

The tod glanced down and blushed when he realized he hadn't put on anything over his boxers or undershirt.

"Well, can we come in or are we all just gonna stand here?" the peach-furred cat joked.

Fox gulped. "No-no, by all means come in. Make yourself at home."

He opened the door and stepped aside while Falco herded the two girls in. While they tiptoed into the living room, Fox grabbed Falco and pulled him aside so the girls couldn't see them.

"Falco, who are they?" he growled from the corner of his mouth.

"Relax Fox!" the avian laughed, coaxing Fox's hand from his arm. "They're just some admirers of ours. There are thousands of more eligible girls like that in our fanbase! We can choose from the cream of the crop!"

"What are they _doing_ here?" Fox continued to grill the bird.

"I told you! They're to help you get over Fara!"

Fox sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Falco, I literally broke up with Fara last night-"

"Doesn't matter. You _asked_ me to get your mind off her, so here I am. The fastest way to boost your spirits is to meet some fun people. We're gonna have a great time, and you're gonna get over her. Okay?"

He clasped Fox's shoulders and stared into his eyes.

Fox frowned at first, but then patted Falco's wing. "Okay. What the heck? Maybe I won't feel so bad."

"Trust me, you'll thank me later. Why don't you put on a swimsuit and we'll meet you out by the pool, m'kay?"

"Ugh. Fine."

X

A few minutes later found the two teammates stretched out on beach chairs, soaking up the sun. They'd divested themselves of their shirts and wore dark pairs of sunglasses – though only half the reason was to block out the sun. In reality they wanted to feast their eyes on the feline and vixen carousing in the water. Fox noticed Falco licking his beak as he ogled the attractive hides exposed by their scanty swimsuits.

"You're looking kinda dry, Falco," Fox joked. "Can I get you anything?"

"Mmm." Falco reached beside his chair for the bag he'd brought. Unzipping it, he revealed an ice-cold assortment of sodas which he placed on the table between them.

"Is that-?"

"Whimsy Cola!" Falco exclaimed. "I'm already addicted to the stuff. If I had teeth like you, they'd be rotten by now. They only recently made it to the shelves, so I didn't wanna risk you not having any when I came, you know?"

Fox studied the soda cans, admiring the saturated colors and cartoon-styled fruit. They came in grape, orange, strawberry, and pineapple. Falco had already cracked open the strawberry can and was sipping from it.

"Ahhh. I dunno where they came from, but they're super sweet and fruity. You gotta try one."

"Well, if you give them _that_ much glowing praise…"

Fox opened the grape one and drank from it, enjoying the sweet stab to his tongue and the fizzy bubbles that filled his mouth.

He smacked his lips. "Wow. You're right, that is pretty good."

"Aw man, I'm gonna erect a shrine somewhere. You know, you should get a soda machine setup out here, have some dude in a truck come by every Wednesday and fill it up with Whimsy."

Fox laughed sadly. "Yeah, I wish…Listen, Falco, there's something I gotta tell you. I can't afford to do things like that anymore."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?"

Fox paused before answering. "Peppy took all my money."

Falco tore his gaze away from the luscious girls and raised his shades. "You're shitting me?"

Fox shook his head.

His friend let his sunglasses drop back into place and slid down in his chair. He crossed his arms and mumbled darkly.

"The old geezer. I've always said he was senile, but this is going too far!"

"Falco, he's only forty-something," Fox reminded him. "But apparently he's in control of Starfox's funds. Used them all to pay off the debt from the Great Fox. On the bright side I don't have a massive loan dangling over my head like it's about to teabag me, but now I'm essentially broke."

"What about your personal cut?"

Fox gestured around them. "You're sitting in it."

Falco whistled. "Wow. So you're boned unless you get a job?"

"Precisely."

Falco shook his head and looked out over the waves. "That sneaky bastard…look, I'll spot you for the time being if you need anything. I've held onto a good chunk of my dough and kinda mooched off of your setup out here, so it's the least I can do to repay you."

"Whew, thanks Falco. Yesterday broke my ass, having all that happen at once. I got arrested, had my money stolen, and then Fara…" He shook his head. "I just feel like everyone's trying to control my life. All Pepper's military goons are hounding me to give speeches and sign deals. Peppy's backed me into a corner where I basically have no other option but to continue Starfox or crash and burn, and Fara's complaining about the fun stuff I do. I swear, that girl has no whimsy."

"Yeah, and I bet you have a hard time doing butt stuff."

Fox's ear twitched. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"She's already got one rod stuck up her ass," Falco snorted into his soda.

Fox rolled his eyes at the falcon's crude joke, but couldn't help laughing along with him. They returned to surveying the girls, getting unprintable ideas.

"I mean it man. It's a good thing you two split up. You were never a good match. The reason you left the Academy? Too restrictive. When Pepper offered to let you into the military? Too restrictive. Same with Fara, simple as that. You need a free-spirited girl, Fox. Not someone who's stuck up and has to help run a company and constantly worry about her image. You two couldn't be more different. And what right does she have to break it off? She _owes_ it to you after saving her and all. I mean, you rescued her and her father way back when, and _this_ is how she repays you? Trying to run your life and abandoning you when you don't fall in line? That's nasty man."

"Well, I mean, she started dating me and all, so if you really wanted to frame it as payment, you could. But what have I done for her recently?"

Falco spat some soda back into the can. "Uh, saved the known universe? Hello? All of Lylat should be your bitch; not just Fara. Listen Fox, people put way too many expectations on you. Saving the world once is enough. You don't have to kick some villain's ass every morning before breakfast to keep people's respect. All those retards out there lose sight of that and hold you to this ridiculously high standard and then criticize you for not sticking to it. It's not fair, man. Which one of those haters can say they did something even a _fraction_ as amazing as you did? None of 'em. And yet they're all still whining and policing everything you do. You know what? Fuck 'em."

Fox was slowly beginning to understand Falco's point of view. "Yeah, you know what? Who needs them." They both raised their cans and clinked them together like a toast. "Fuck 'em!" And they chugged the rest of their soda.

"Awesome." Falco rubbed his wings together after setting his empty can down. "Now, let's say we get busy with our two little water nymphs, eh?"

But Fox raised a hand. "Cooool it Falco. You forgot about one important little hater."

The avian cocked his head. "Who?"

"Me."

"Aw come on Fox!"

"I'm serious. I don't feel right about messing around with another girl so soon after Fara's gone."

Falco slicked his hair back. "Geez, you talk about her as if she's dead and you're a widower or somethin'. Why is getting you to have fun so freakin' hard!? I swear I have to coax you to do anything enjoyable. Fara only ever had a selfish love for you, and you were just infatuated with her because she was such a cute little damsel in distress."

"Falco, we _genuinely_ loved each other-"

"Gimme a break. You two were never going to work together, so get over it. Stop pretending you had anything more than puppy-dog love. If she really loved you, she would've hung around and supported you through your hard times instead of abandoning you."

Falco suddenly leaned in close to Fox and spoke in a whisper. "Hey Foxy boy, you aren't holding onto the chance you might hook back up with Fara, now are ya?"

Fox thought hard for a moment. "Well…"

"Level with me. How much of a chance do you think ya really got?"

Fox sighed. "Alright Falco. None. Absolutely none. Fara sounded pretty final last night. I mean she left a _bit_ of an opening-"

Falco shook his head emphatically. "Uh-uh. It's a trick. She _wants_ you to stay attached to her even though it's all off. She wants to control you and hurt you. I'll lay you 10-to-1 she's already boning some rich exec's son to further her shitty _'corporation,'"_ he said, using a snooty voice to say the last word. "Nah, you need to hook up with someone _fast._ Fara's not the one. But believe me, the perfect girl is out there somewhere. Maybe she's in that pool, or this neighborhood, or in Corneria, or out there somewhere among the stars we haven't even explored yet. But that doesn't change the fact that she's waiting _just_ for _you._ "

"Wow…" Fox looked out over the distant waves, which stretched as far as he could see into the horizon. "You really think so?"

"Nah. Hit up one of these bitches while you still have the chance."

"You are unbelievable, Falco."

"But really though, I'm trying to score with the cat."

"What about _your_ Katt?"

Falco waved one of his wings dismissively. "I haven't seen Katt since Zoness, when she tried _flirting_ with my team's leader. You can't even say we're going steady together. But besides, what Katt doesn't know won't hurt me." Leaning in towards Fox once again, he whispered, "These girls are _crazy_ into us! They'll do anything. An. Ny. Thing!"

Fox grimaced at the suggestion. "I don't know Falco, I don't think we should misuse our fame to get them to do things they're uncomfortable with. 20 years from now it might cause a scandal, and I don't want to have my reality show canceled."

Falco snorted. "You know that was kinda messed up, but how many Westport actors are legitimately thinking the same thing? But if you're worried, lemme put it to ya like this. What would you do for a night with Yvette Kirkesgaard?" he asked, referencing a famous Cornerian actress.

The tod scratched his head. "Uh…anything?"

"Precisely!" Falco exclaimed. "Now quit worrying, we have bogeys incoming."

"Huh?"

Fox looked up to see the girls emerging from the pool like a pair of mermaids. Their wet feet slapped against the ground as they strutted over to their deck chairs. They didn't even bother drying off, letting the sun reflect off their shiny soaked fur and the water trail down their delectable bodies.

"Well, are you two boys ready to stop ogling us?" asked the black-furred fox.

"I think it's about time you asked our names," the feline pouted.

Falco slapped his forehead. "Oh, right. Fox, this is…" he trailed off, realizing even _he_ didn't know their names. "Uh…?"

The peach-furred cat threw an arm around her friend, side-hugging her. "I'm Abby, and this is Liza."

"Of course we already know who _you_ handsome men are," Liza said.

"Mind if we sit?" Abby asked expectantly.

Falco scooted to the side on his chair, leaving just enough space for Abby to sit down next to him. Fox decided to follow his lead and made space for Liza, who looked several years older than he or Falco. The black-furred vixen lay on her side and pressed uncomfortably close to Fox, to the point where her bikini-clad breasts spilled onto his bare chest. Her muzzle hovered breathtakingly-close to his own so that he could feel the warmth from her words. "Now this is cozier, isn't it?"

"Oh, uh, hello!" Fox's entire body tensed and shrunk back at first. Sirens in his head still screamed this was wrong, even if Falco had logically convinced him otherwise.

"So you're the great Fox McCloud," she said in a silken voice. "You're quite the handsome boy on the news. You're not as square or prudish as that other pilot; Sergeant Grey was his name?"

"Yeah, good friend of mine!" Fox said nervously. "We were in the same Academy class together. Flight Academy, that is."

"Really? I never would have guessed it. You're truly the roguish mercenaries I've seen on the news. All the army hacks lift you up as their pretty poster boy…" she leaned in close till her lips brushed his at her next words. "…but you're really not as innocent as all that, are you?"

"It does get old wearing that mask," Fox reluctantly admitted.

The vixen smiled. "Gooood, I knew there was fun left in you. You've been quite the rebellious youth lately, haven't you? I've heard about some of your recent adventures around Westport. They're so much more exciting than the boring drivel about space fighters and fleets and planetary invasions. Some of them even…scandalous?" Her eyes sparkled at the word. "You aren't much for following rules, are you?"

Abby picked up on their conversation, following along. "Yeah, rules are always so restrictive. Like pools, for instance. You never have any fun."

Liza continued, "No running, no diving, no drinks, no skinny-dipping…"

"You girls wouldn't want to join us in breaking a few of these rules, now would you?" Falco mischievously posited, waggling his eyebrows.

"I thought you'd never ask," Abby giggled, tickling the avian playfully.

Falco snickered before dramatically face-palming. "Aw geez Fox, where are our manners? We haven't offered these girls any drinks yet! And I mean _real_ drinks."

Catching his meaning, Fox said, "Bottom shelf of the kitchen fridge, Falco. Go wild."

"Excuse me, ladies." Falco pried himself from Abby and started indoors.

Fox placed a paw to his mouth and called after him, "I thought you worshiped Whimsy as your one-and-only carbonated soda?"

"Yeah, well, everything's better spiked. Don't break any rules without me, ladies!"

After Falco disappeared into the sliding glass door, Abby began to look bored. Glancing over at Fox and Liza, she smiled wickedly. Out of the corner of his eye, Fox saw her approach.

"Mind if I join you two?"

"Sure honey!" Liza exclaimed.

"Wait, I don't think there's enough-OOF!" Fox gasped as the feline sat down on his lap. As he felt his pulse begin to quicken, he had a heightened awareness of how thin his swimsuit trunks were; something which Abby became acquainted with herself, firsthand.

"A little excited, aren't we?" she laughed.

"So tell me," Liza began. "What was your most daring mission during the war? Or do you not like to talk about it?"

Sandwiched between the girls, Fox now felt attacked from two sides. He was great at avoiding enemy entrapments in air, but on land? Alas, not so much.

"Well, let's see…" Fox trailed off, searching his memory for a good story. "There was that time we attacked a hidden enemy base on Zoness. It was during the invasion aftermath. You girls remember what it looked like _before_ Venom got to it, right?"

"Yeah," the feline answered. "I remember visiting it as a child. It was so pretty then. Is it really as bad as the photos make it out to be?"

" _Worse,"_ Fox said. "The ocean is this disgusting sea of toxic muck, and the clouds are a gaseous green. The chemicals Andross dumped there mutated the sea life, causing them to grow thousands of times their original size. _Especially_ the bugs."

Abby shivered in his lap. "Ooh, I hated those. The water striders and aquatic spiders and all those critters? _Yuck_."

"Oh yeah, they all grew monstrously huge…and grew extra legs!" And he tickled Abby's soft stomach, causing her to scream and giggle uproariously, shaking harder on his lap.

In the meantime Liza seemed neglected. She grabbed ahold of Fox's fluffy tail and began combing her fingers through it. "Wow, so soft. Can I borrow this?"

"Go to town, I guess."

Liza set to work drying her soaking body with the tail, rubbing it sensuously against her bare arms, chest, and stomach.

Now distracted by Liza's shenanigans with his tail, Fox continued on with some difficulty; his attention was effectively split. "Well, me and Falco and the rest of our team flew in low for a sneak attack. We knew there was an enemy base there, but we didn't exactly know _how big_ it was. Turns out, it was _big!_ It was a Venomian supply depot. Well, anyway, when we flew out of a crag, we accidentally dropped into the middle of a main shipping lane. Miles and _miles_ of enemy tankers for as far as the eye could see, and most of them carried fighters."

Abby gasped. "How were you not immediately toast?"

"Wow, you must have been _horrified,_ " Liza whispered. While Fox talked on, she began drying herself a little more freely as she inched Fox's tail down her abdomen and towards her swimsuit bottom.

Sweating as he watched his tail be thrust into Liza's thong, Fox continued, "It was legitimately one of the scariest moments of my life. The four of us had to fry as many of the grounded ships as we could while they were still sitting ducks; that is, before the pilots managed to run to them and take off. We were four measly pilots, and this was potentially _thousands_ of ships we needed to blow before they took off and outnumbered us. Of course it was impossible to destroy them all in time, but the Great Fox – our carrier – was on its way. Eventually they got off enough ships into the air that we couldn't focus on the grounded ones anymore, and we were quickly surrounded and stuck in a losing fight. Things looked pretty grim, but finally our dreadnought showed up and scattered 'em, saving us in the nick of time! I almost had a heart attack, my blood has never raced so fast since that day."

"Oh? Well maybe we can fix that," Liza said suggestively, returning Fox's tail.

Abby sighed, eyes fixed on the sky out over the water. "How exciting! Don't you…you know, ever wanna do something like that again? Maybe one day go back out there and take on a horde of enemies?"

Fox's excitement immediately collapsed. "Not you too…"

"WHAT IN BLAZES?!"

All three sets of eyes turned to see Peppy Hare standing inside the sliding-glass doorway, a look of pure terror on his face.

"Oh, you must be the rabbit!" Abby exclaimed.

Peppy grabbed a nearby pool broom and brandished it. "GET YOUR PAWS OFF MY GODSON!"

As the hare sprinted for the deck chairs, Liza and Abby began to panic. They extricated themselves from Fox and scurried clockwise around the pool, now chased by a mad rabbit waving a broom to and fro.

"Wait! Peppy! No!" Fox called, but the hare ignored him. When they had all completed a lap around the pool, the girls managed to grab their clothes and run inside, slamming the glass door behind them.

Peppy pulled up in front of it and shouted, "And stay away from him, ya succubuses!"

Fox covered his face with his paws, shaking his head. "Peppy…what are you doing here?"

"Protecting you from gold-diggers and trashy women, that's what. Another of your self-destructive tendencies I have to save you from."

"What do you mean 'gold-diggers?' Because of you I don't have any 'gold' left to 'dig!'"

Peppy turned back to Fox, placing his hands on his hips. "Well _they_ don't know that! They're predators, Fox. The worst kind. They'd sap you dry in a heartbeat."

"That's what I was hoping for," Fox mumbled below his breath.

"Eh?" Peppy asked.

"I said I wanted them to suck me dry!" Fox shouted.

"Doggonit Fox, you don't have to be so vulgar. But I didn't come here to lecture you about manners."

Fox crossed his arms. "Oh? Then why did you come here?"

"I'm moving in," he proudly stated.

"No you're not."

"Oh yes I am," Peppy grinned through his buckteeth. "I promised Pepper I'd take extreme measures to ensure you don't act out of line. Well, this is phase 2."

"Peppy, I'm warning you, if you pull a stunt like this I will be so freakin' mad I'll go out and burn down half of Westport in retaliation."

"Hmph. Over my dead body!"

 _"I'm a fixin' to,"_ Fox said, mocking Peppy's drawl. "What's gotten into you lately, Gramps? You're overreaching your position and taking control of my life."

"I'm taking control of your 19-year-old ass because you can't step foot outside your house without setting something on fire. Running around with lascivious girls isn't like you. And that's another thing; where'd you learn to call me something disrespectful like 'Gramps' all of a sudden?"

At that moment Falco stepped outside carrying several beer bottles in his wings.

"Oh, hi Gramps," he said. "Sorry it took so long Fox, your fridge was out and I had to hunt down a new pack. Say, where the girls at?"

The falcon grew confused as Peppy fixed him with a death glare and Fox looked at him with a horrified expression. The hare's face turned beet-red, his teeth clenched, and his knuckles turned white as he strangled the broom handle.

Falco involuntarily dropped the beer bottles, which plinked and rolled in all different directions.

"OUT!" Peppy bellowed, charging towards Falco.

The avian ducked low and shielded his head to avoid Peppy's wrathful broom as he ran inside. Peppy chased him, whacking away, but accidentally slipped on one of Falco's abandoned beer bottles and plunged into the pool. Arms flailing, he broke the surface of the water and sent up a volcanic splash that rose higher than Fox's roof. Falco's screams slowly died out as he disappeared into Fox's house, and the tod collapsed laughing onto his deck chair.

Eventually Peppy and the broom resurfaced, with the hare spitting a stream of water from his mouth. At first he glared at Fox as he underwent a fit of uncontrollable laughter at the hare's expense, but it was so contagious that he cracked a smiled and chuckled along with him. After they got it out of their systems Peppy's voice once again became serious.

"That bird comes back I'll turn fricassee him."

X

Later that night Fox continued moving the rest of the hare's things into his house. His honorary uncle had gone to bed early, as was typical of him. Peppy was more of a morning person, while after the Lylat Wars Fox stayed up later and later each night doing various...activities. He could've taken more of his migraine medication to help him sleep, but his head wasn't buzzing so much, so he couldn't use that as an excuse. No, he felt restless, like he hadn't done enough that day to call it quits. So now he found himself moving Peppy's things in.

Strange, he thought, that Fara had just moved out only for Peppy to immediately take her place. The paranoia in him said they had plotted to ruin his life together, but he brushed the thought aside. Well, at least he wouldn't be lonely. For all he complained about Peppy, he enjoyed his company. He had plenty of fun and heartwarming memories with him, especially with how Peppy stepped up to bat for Fox once his father died. He really fit the role of surrogate father well, though at times he could seem…overprotective.

Earlier that day, Peppy labelled Falco a bad influence and said the two had to stay away from each other for awhile. Fox could hardly argue. Falco had coaxed him into doing some pretty stupid things in the past, and from what he heard about the avian, he used to run with a gang on Zoness. He was slightly miffed at Falco for pushing his own life philosophy on Fox earlier that day…perhaps he wasn't so sorry to see Falco go.

Fox was so lost in thought that he accidentally set Peppy's suitcase down too hard. He panicked when he heard something inside snap.

"Oh shit."

He quickly examined the suitcase for any damage. It was rather antique, which made sense because Peppy was of the sentimental type. If anything was damaged, the hare would most likely kill him.

He unlatched the top and flipped it open, revealing neat stacks of Peppy's folded clothes – none of which could've been damaged or made such a snapping sound. Fox checked the inside hinges, brow furrowing when he noticed one had snapped in two. He grabbed the broken piece and jimmied it back and forth. Strange, he hadn't seen a hinge fashioned like this before-

Suddenly a thin layer of the suitcase's side flipped open, and a hidden compartment popped out.

"No way…"

The suitcase held a false bottom. It was the same kind Peppy and his father used during espionage missions to hide important paper documents and other materials. Whatever was inside the secret compartment was probably none of his business.

But then again, maybe he could find something with which to blackmail the hare back out of his life. If Peppy was going to fight dirty, why couldn't he?

Fox gave into his childish curiosity and slid the compartment the rest of the way out. Apparently it had nothing to attach it to the rest of the suitcase, and tipped over in his hand upon removing it. A pile of photographs spilled out and fluttered to the floor.

"Damn," he said below his breath. He lowered to his haunches and began stacking the pictures right-side up. He'd never let Peppy hear the end of his using antiquated physical photos in this day and age, but then again it was his hobby. At least the hare _had_ a hobby.

Fox's cleanup effort slowed to a halt as he became distracted by the photos.

They were from years ago, when he was only a kit, and James and Peppy were young rapscallions.

And _she_ was still alive.

Fox cherished any memory he had of his mother. He was awfully young when she passed – or more accurately, was _murdered_. That had been seven years ago, when Fox was only 11 and struggling to fit into elementary school. His grades and social prowess immediately tanked during that time, though the plus side was he went through his 'emo' phase much earlier than other unfortunate students. He retreated into himself, blowing off most anyone who approached him. Never attended parties, even on the rare chance he was invited. He truly was the kid in the corner. In a way it never really left him. He just put on a confident persona for others to compensate for how introverted he felt.

But Slippy was there for him. No matter how hard he rebuffed the pimply-faced amphibian, he always hung around Fox, and the two eventually became best friends.

It wasn't a mystery who killed Fox's mom. Andross, a System-renowned scientist, conducted experiments that placed thousands of Cornerians in danger. It was always kept top secret exactly what the scientist did wrong, but the loss of life could never be silenced. Besides those who died in his failed experiment, many a Cornerian family suffered from losing a loved one, and Fox was no different. Andross was exiled seven years ago to Venom. He could've been executed by lethal injection, but President Finley at the time had to make a show of it. There were so many grieving, angry Cornerians that wanted a fate worse than death for Andross. His father was one of the people demanding such a fate.

So they exiled him to Venom, where he was doomed to die a slow, torturous death at the mercy of the elements.

If only they'd opted for a swift public execution, so much more pain could have been avoided.

The Cornerian executioners lost sight of Andross when he slipped between the rocks. Deeming him dead, they packed up and returned to Corneria. But Andross was far from finished.

Just five years later, Pepper sent James and Starfox to investigate mysterious activity on Venom spotted by an orbital Cornerian research station.

Needless to say, he never came back.

Fox was ready for the news this time, when Peppy returned alone. His mother's death prepared him – hardened him – so that he didn't spiral down a pit of depression. Instead he flat out quit the academy, trained with Peppy, and became the best mercenary team of ace pilots Lylat had seen.

He never recovered from the loss of his parents. Deep down he still suffered from their passing. But in the meantime, he'd learned to outwardly cope and move on.

…Yet, at times like this, he allowed himself to indulge in his past just the least bit.

Fox poured over Peppy's trove of photos, all of which he'd never seen before. Some were of the original Starfox team; James and Peppy and uncle Pigma, who had ended up betraying his teammates that fatal day. It was a shame, too. Fox rather liked Pigma. He was always the prodigal uncle who didn't have kids of his own, so he had a habit of pampering Fox to his parents' chagrin.

Fox unearthed a photo of the entire gang; it was taken at the McCloud residence back on Papetoon. It was such a lovely house surrounded by bright flowers and vibrant green cacti. He stood between his loving mother and father, while the three Hares stood on the opposite side; Peppy, his former wife Vivian, and their daughter Lucy, who was a year younger than Fox at the time. Pigma stood between James and Peppy, arms thrown around both of their shoulders. Part of him wondered why Peppy didn't just rip Pigma out, but then there'd be a big gaping hole in the center of the photo, splitting the two families.

He examined the next photo, which was taken on the steps of a blinding white Cornerian university, or perhaps a research institute. Pale blue sky and bright pink cherry blossoms added some color to the photo, as well as the individuals standing in front of the steps. Vixy and Vivian stood next to each other, holding hands and smiling brilliantly at the photographer. The right half of the photo however was nearly ripped off…but mysteriously left on.

Fox cautiously folded the nearly severed piece over so as not to rip it further. When he aligned the two halves so that the rip vanished, he let out a quick breath.

It was him.

The third person in the photograph was Andross Oikonny. Standing tall and proud next to the two women – one of whom was his mom.

Who _he_ murdered.

"No..."

Fox shook his head, unable to accept or even comprehend what the group photo implied. It was impossible that Andross had any personal connection to his parents. His mother was just another of thousands of Cornerians that Andross killed. All it took was one dangerous experiment gone wrong. It was cold. Calculated – or _mis_ calculated. Impersonal. There was nothing more between them. Nothing.

That was exactly what his father tried to convince him of. That they were no different than thousands of other Cornerian families grieving, and seething. But…Fox had always seen it in his father's eyes that it was _far_ from impersonal. The way his fists clenched and his brow furrowed whenever he mentioned Andross's name or Vixy's death contradicted his words.

And now, this photo confirmed it.

Fox needed answers. It did not matter that 'answers' was named 'Peppy' and was currently asleep in his guest room. After all, how could Peppy sleep when Fox was in the middle of a crisis?

Clutching the photograph in his hands, Fox stormed out of the storage room and down the night-lit halls of his mansion. He burst through Peppy's door and shook the sleeping beast.

"Peppy! Peppy wake up, this is important!"

Peppy snorted. "Huh? What? What is it?"

Fox flicked the lightswitch on and shoved the photo in Peppy's face.

"Explain _this,_ Peppy."

The hare rubbed his eyes and stared at the picture, preparing himself for Fox's shenanigans.

His eyes widened. "Fox, where did you-"

"I dropped one of your suitcases and the secret compartment flipped out," Fox half-lied. "I couldn't help but see the photos when they spilled out, and this one in particular surprised me. You have to admit, you don't see your dead mom smiling with her murderer everyday now, do you?"

After a moment of Peppy just intently staring at the photograph, Fox prodded, "So? What do you have to say about this?"

Peppy's nose and whiskers twitched. "It was a mistake keeping this photo around. I shoulda shredded it when I had the chance. It's not healthy hanging onto the past."

" _Explain_ it, Peppy!"

The hare shook his head. "Trust me Fox, it's nothing. You really don't want to know."

Fox rolled his eyes in disbelief. "You think _you_ are the best judge of what I want and don't want? 'Cause I think I got that down pretty well. She's _my_ mother, Peppy! It's not right that you're keeping secrets from me. Now, what did my parents have to do with Andross's experiments?"

Peppy began to sweat and ring his hands, anxiously glancing around the room. However, it was clear to him that Fox wasn't about to let him leave until he gave some answers.

"Alright Fox, you win. But I'm warning you, you're gonna regret having this knowledge. I don't mean to be insensitive, but both your parents _and_ their killer are dead, so it won't do you any good. It's useless now, but…if you insist." He looked up into Fox's eyes. "Take a seat, son."

The anticipation killing him, Fox sat at the foot of Peppy's bed. "I'm ready."

"Well you're not but I'll tell ya anyway. You remember Sector Y?"

"Sure. We engaged the Shogun fleet there after repelling the invasion of Corneria. I don't really see how it's relevant."

"Do you remember what the area looks like?"

Fox smiled. "Of course, how could I forget? It's a great big glowing Y-shaped nebula."

"It's not natural," Peppy said flatly.

That caught Fox off guard. "Huh?"

"Isn't it rather out of place? I giant green letter Y? It only came into existence 7 years ago. That ring a bell?"

The tod's eyes widened. "That was when Andross accidentally killed thousands of Cornerians and got himself exiled. You're not saying-?"

"I am. It's all connected. You see, your mother and my late wife both worked for Andross back when he was a bigshot in Cornerian R&D. He oversaw the production of the largest artificial satellite ever constructed. The problem was, Andross employed some…unsavory and dangerous means of powering the satellite. He expressly defied his Cornerian superiors and the advice of our loved ones, carrying on with his experimental energy source. Well, accidents are the direct cause of invention. If you create the car, you create the car accident. If you create the plane, you create the plane crash." Peppy looked Fox in the eye. "Andross invented the Bolse satellite. He also invented the Bolse meltdown."

"Bolse? Like the one we destroyed orbiting Venom?"

Peppy solemnly nodded. "Exactly. The Bolse project started years earlier under Cornerian direction. But when Andross was exiled, he resumed production on the satellite by himself. Fox, his previous attempt is what killed our loved ones. Because of his blatant disregard for safety, my Vivian and your mother are dead today. Worst of all, they worked together. Constantly. Vivian and Vixy were two of the brightest Cornerian scientists, and Andross knew it. They all shared a mutual admiration for one another, even if towards the end Andross became dangerously obsessed with his work."

"My mom…worked with Andross…" Fox repeated to himself. He couldn't believe it.

"But as I said," Peppy continued, "All of that is behind us now. It's in the past, all loose ends tied. I wouldn't worry yourself about it anymore. Focus on the future, Fox."

Fox looked up at Peppy. "What was the dangerous fuel Andross was using?"

Peppy stared back at him, startled. He blurted out, "It was…" but then trailed off. "I don't know."

"You _have_ to know! Your wife worked for him! You literally were on the verge of telling me!"

"It's highly classified, Fox. It's government secrets."

"Oh my flipping…" Fox stood up and began pacing the room. "Well, how many Bolse satellites were there?"

Peppy's ear wiggled. "Huh?"

"I mean, if the Sector Y nebula was caused by a Bolse meltdown, what about Sector Z? Or Sector X? Didn't the same thing happen there?"

Peppy opened his mouth to answer, but he could only ever get a few words into an explanation before he clamped it back shut again.

"Like holy shit Peppy, there's at least three of them, right? Four counting the one we destroyed over Venom. How long have Corneria and Andross been racing to build these things? They must be pretty important for them to try over and over and over again, even _after_ horrible accidents like that."

The hare shook his head in a warning fashion. "I'm telling ya Fox, drop it. You have no business prying into secret projects like this. Why are you so interested in this all of a sudden?"

Fox clenched his fists and half-shouted at Peppy. "Because it's how my parents died, okay! I need to know everything that happened. Sure, they're both gone. I avenged them myself. It didn't bring them back. I didn't expect it too. I also know they're _never_ coming back. But…it's driving me insane! I need to know as much about my parents as I can! I never knew there was this layer of mystery to them."

"Fox, it's none of your business-"

"I already told you, of course it's my business!" Fox sat down on the bed next to Peppy and put a hand on his shoulder. "Peppy, look. I'm getting up off my ass and _doing_ something for a change! I've never been this excited in my life. There's something going on here, and as the leader of Starfox, it's my job to find out what. There's more to my parents' legacy than meets the eye. Isn't _t_ _his_ what you've wanted? For me to continue Starfox?"

"No, Fox, you don't under-"

"Then what the hell have you been hounding me to do for the past few months? Huh? The moment I rediscover meaning in my life, the moment I find something to strive for, all of a sudden you're shutting me _down?!"_

"Alright, you got me there!" Peppy raised his voice. "But it's a futile venture. You won't find anything. At all. The Bolse satellites are top-secret military projects created with only the best of intentions. Even a war hero like yourself wouldn't be granted access. Corneria's a dead end!"

Fox thought it over for a minute.

"Then I'll just have to try Venom."

Peppy's eyes widened. "You don't mean-"

"Peppy, I'm desperate. Andross's labs seem like the best place to look. They haven't even been fully explored yet, even months after his defeat. Every week on the news it seems like the army finds a whole new compound that wasn't there before. I could get some work exploring the labs and use my security access to dig up some more clues."

"Fox, going to Venom is even worse! You have no idea what horrors lie there."

"But my parents did. They lived it. They died because of it. I may have gotten revenge, Peppy, but I still need closure."

"But Fox…" Peppy trailed off, seeing the look of determination in Fox's eyes and realizing there was nothing to do to extinguish it. He sighed deeply. "Alright, son. If you feel so passionately about it, I can't stop you from going. But one day, Fox…"

"…You'll learn not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong."


	4. Lying Beneath

X

Mission No. 4

Venom  
Andross's Laboratories

Lying Beneath

X

 _The vixen's eyes fluttered open._

 _There was only an all-encompassing blinding light._

 _Her lids involuntarily squeezed shut before struggling back open._

 _The previous figures dressed in white robes were placing her body onto a raised platform._

 _The table was reflective and cold against her bare fur._

 _She shivered, but that was all the movement her muscles could afford._

 _Noticing her attempts to move, they strapped her to the table, though in her state it was unnecessary._

 _Once restrained, they surrounded her, huddling around the table and breathing through cloth masks._

 _Between their downward-tilted heads and jewel-studded eyes hovered a sun._

 _The light dimmed whenever her captors moved in front of it or reached over her head._

 _It was a cold, harsh light, but the blindness it brought seemed to burn her fears away and give her something to focus on._

 _From every side came strange noises; high-pitched beeps and whirrings threatening to drive her mad._

 _Through the gaps between the working figures she could see black screens that shimmered and changed on their own._

 _Several rows of multicolored lines covered the panels, each one intermittently spiking up or down and emitting a chirp._

 _Beside each dancing line was a group of symbols that slowly changed; often the object of her captors' attention._

 _"Administer 20 cc's of crystal lysergic acid."_

 _Pain, in her left arm._

 _She twisted her head to the side and saw a milky transparent cylinder pressed into her blue-furred arm._

 _At first it didn't look like it was even touching her, but a glint of silver revealed a needle protruding from her flesh._

 _She gasped and her heart began to pound in her chest._

 _The multicolored lines danced in a frenzy._

 _A new head loomed between herself and the cold sun, looking at her upside down._

 _It sighed._

" _Vixy would be so proud to see how far I've come…"_

 _The lines began to level out again._

 _The vixen's stomach turned to ice._

 _Her heartbeat slowed in the cold._

 _Shadow claimed her vision._

 _Cold…_

X

The door to the courtroom swung open.

Bill marched at the tail end of a line of high-profile prisoners. For the most part they weren't the typical surly bunch of Venomian lowlifes; the normal degenerate scum that made up Andross's ranks. Besides Grand Admiral Dōnatsu, a rather brutish-looking crocodile, the rest were Andross's advisers, lead researchers, and program overseers, who leaned to the intellectual side.

In fact, during the preliminary IQ tests, most scored incredibly high.

Bill herded the prisoners into the courtroom, a spacious and lavishly-decorated hall that almost resembled a theater. After all, the trials were just as much for entertainment and to send a message as they were to serve actual justice.

The one thing the room lacked, however, was windows. Even if it did have them, viewers would only see the harsh Venomian wasteland outside.

How does one punish someone who had already been exiled to Venom? Where was there left to send them?

Bill sat in the front row with the prisoners, just before the open courtroom floor that separated the onlookers from the judges' bench. Representatives from every country and planet in the Lylat sat at the table, awaiting to pass sentence on the Venomians. For this was the first series of cases tried by the newly created Interplanetary Criminal Court. If Andross accomplished one good thing, Bill thought, it was uniting all of Lylat to condemn evil.

While staring around the room full of military personnel, legal advisers, holovision crews, and foreign ambassadors, the canine's eyes caught General Pepper seated at the center of the table of judges. The general, wearing his red dress uniform, nodded curtly to Bill and gave him an encouraging smile. Bill nodded back politely. It was an honor to attend the trial of the war criminals and finally see them meet justice. It was even more of an honor that Pepper had promoted Bill Grey to captain and placed him in charge of guarding the prisoners.

General Pepper looked left and right down the row of judges, who all signaled their readiness. Pepper banged his gavel against the table several times, drawing an immediate hush of silence in the chaotic room. It was already the third hearing day, so the audience knew the drill well.

"The Interplanetary Criminal Court is now in session," Pepper said in his usual blustery voice. "May god save Lylat and this tribunal. The defendants are hereby accused of a multitude of crimes, including but not limited to; conspiracy to commit war crimes and crimes against Lylatian kind. These crimes include the performing of medical experiments on prisoners of war and innocent civilians of occupied planets. The defendants committed murders, brutalities, cruelties, torture, atrocities, and other cold-hearted acts. These individuals are accused of the mass murder of prisoners of war and civilians of occupied planets on the sole basis of elderly age, mental illness, fatal illness, deformity, and so on, in nursing homes, hospitals, mental asylums, jails, death camps, and scientific laboratories. If found guilty, the prisoners will be executed. How does each defendant plead?"

One by one, the Venomian scientists and heads of state stood and said, "Not guilty," before taking a seat again. As Bill surveyed the row of prisoners, he suddenly realized that Dr. Werhner Von Liebegute was absent. Strange, he thought. He had apprehended the scientist himself. Bill's catch was at least partially responsible for Pepper promoting him to captain. Surely Liebegute needed to pay for his crimes? Perhaps they were saving him for a later trial.

When the last scientist had plead 'not guilty,' Pepper said, "Very well. The Tribunal is ready to begin the trial. Do any of you have a preliminary statement prepared before we proceed?"

At once a simian with oil-slick hair shot to his feet. He wore a headset and a microphone like the rest of the prisoners and guards, which was necessary for his words to be translated. "Yes we do, Mr. General," he said with a snide tongue. Bill finally placed him as Dr. Carl Bland. "I wish for everyone present in the court, including the judges, the representatives, and even the masses of audiences watching from around the Lylat System, to know that everything we did was ultimately for the benefit of all. Progress comes with sacrifice. Only backwards scientists worry about the risks. What we did was not easy, and we took no pleasure in bringing about many necessary deaths. But one must place the benefit of the many before the well being of the few. If there are impurities in the population, is it not right to weed them out before they spread and infect more? If there is disease, is it not the most noblest act to sacrifice oneself to find a cure? If there is to be pain, then better to concentrate it all on one individual than to spread it across the entire population. Really, you Cornerians are no different."

At this Bill openly scoffed, which caused Dr. Bland to cast him a sideways glance as he talked. The bulldog felt an icy chill worm through him.

"I bring before the court's attention the many similar experiments previously carried out by Corneria on unwilling or uninformed subjects. Their methods were the same as our own. Infect a few prisoners with disease and come up with a cure to save countless millions, for example. The prosecution's own Dr. Ivy adheres to this philosophy. In fact, we Venomian scientists have kept an eye on his experiments and modeled them ourselves. It was all in the name of science and progress. Everything we did was justified, as it was for the collective benefit of the Lylat."

With his speech concluded, Dr. Bland seated himself and crossed his arms in satisfaction. Many of his fellow prisoners quietly congratulated him, and an air of smugness descended over the Venomians because of his small victory.

Murmurs broke out in the courtroom, and Bill looked worriedly at Pepper. Several Venomians from the previous day's trials had used similar tactics to cast doubt on the ethicacy of their accusers. Grand Admiral Dōnatsu, for instance, was charged with indiscriminate attacks on merchant vessels, but had the charges dropped when he pointed out Cornerians had committed the same act in desperation. Corneria's allies in Fortuna had tried to pin the blame for a massacre of political prisoners on Venom, but likewise came away unsuccessful.

He clenched his fists and glared at Dr. Bland. He wouldn't get away with this clever stunt.

Pepper's stoic expression hadn't changed. Bill admired the general more than anyone else in the world.

"Your accusations are quite baseless and irrelevant," Pepper observed. "Cornerian physicians operate with the utmost care of the subjects in mind. They follow proper scientific methodology and can show direct benefits from the experiments. Yours, on the other hand…"

Pepper glanced sideways at the prosecution, which turned on a holographic projector near one of the adjacent walls.

"Yours are purposeless, cruel, maniacal, and cold."

All eyes turned to the holoscreen, which began rolling a slideshow of images taken during and after the War. Some were from occupied planets. Others were taken in Venomian prison camps and laboratories.

The grotesque images instantly silenced the courtroom.

That shut the Venomians up. Gone were their smug grins and cocky whispers. They began uncomfortably squirming on their bench.

Bill stared straight on, already numbed by what he had seen firsthand.

The rest of the onlookers were horrified. Some looked away. Some cried. Others left the room altogether.

"Long live Andross!"

All eyes turned to the prisoners. In their center stood one of the former scientists, who tossed a small white tablet into his mouth.

"NO!"

Bill and the other guards rushed to the fallen primate who now lay convulsing on the floor. The prisoners parted ways to let them through, but otherwise showed no reaction. One way or another, they were bound for the same fate.

When Bill reached the Venomian physician he was already dead. No pulse. No breath. The poison had done its quick work.

The last thing he thought of while gripping the primate's lifeless, cold hand was how strange it was to be disturbed by the death of a heinous, Venomian war criminal.

X

 _Fox had never remembered his pool looking so clean…o_ _r so sparkly._

 _He balanced at the end of the diving board, but held off from diving in, for a choreographed show was taking place before his eyes._

 _Four graceful figures swam in a synchronized fashion in the bubbly, carbonated pool water. Fox recognized Abby and Liza from the day before, but the other two swimmers were shrouded in light. Together they made a diamond shape, with each of the swimmers at one of the four points. They made star patterns by folding their arms and legs in and out, often clasping hands and spinning in circles, or diving into the pool to perform underwater somersaults in time with one another._

 _While each of the girls swam and performed elegant maneuvers, their brightly-colored bikinis seemed to dissolve into the water, dying it different shades and flavors of…_

 _Whimsy_ _…_ _Cola?_

 _As Liza rotated beneath the diving board, she sang up at him, "Come on in, the water's fizzy! Grab yourself a can of Whimsy!"_

 _Likewise when Abby floated by she sang, "Your coat looks so hot and furry, drink some Whimsy in a hurry!"_

 _The third figure rotated into view, and Fox recognized him as_ _…_ _Falco?! The avian wore a bright yellow two-piece that left the water an amber color wherever he drifted._

" _Wanna be as smart as Leonardo Da Vinci? Just grab a bottle o' Whimsy!"_

" _That better be pineapple you're leaving behind, Falco."_

 _His teammate suddenly broke formation and swam over to the diving board. Fox bent down so Falco could whisper in his ear._

" _Don't freak out, but you're the one peeing IRL."_

 _Fox's face turned white. "Oh no."_

 _The fourth swimmer finally rotated into view, revealing himself to be ROB. The robot's voice gargled with bubbles when he spoke._

" _WAKE UP. WAKE UP. FOX, WAKE UP."_

Fox lazily opened one blurry eye.

He had fallen asleep in the captain's chair of the Great Fox, which he had reclined all the way back the night before. Once again he wore an undershirt and briefs, but someone had covered him with a blanket.

Looking to his left he came face-to-face with ROB, the ship's mechanical companion. Fox flinched. His steely cold friend had no concept of personal space.

"ROB, did you put this on me?"

 _"Affirmative,"_ ROB's voice box buzzed.

"Aw, that was sweet of you." Fox slipped out of the chair and patted his metallic friend on the head.

 _"We have arrived at our destination."_

Fox took a look out the bridge's expansive windows, confirming that sure enough, they had come to their last stop.

Venom.

The sickly brown and yellow planet churned like a sewage drain before them. Already Fox was feeling nauseous, and he had only observed the planet for a few seconds.

"Ugh, I think I'll skip breakfast today." Shivering in the cold air of the bridge, he grabbed the blanket ROB gave him and draped it over his head and shoulders. "Am I still feeling the side effects of that medication? Sheesh, and I skipped my dose last night. It must work exponentially, or something."

 _"What is our specific destination, Fox?"_

Fox padded across the icy metal floor to an instant coffee machine, which ROB had already primed in anticipation. Fox poured himself a styrofoam cup's worth and walked back to the captain's chair. His mouth contorted as he thought.

"Sector V," he stated.

The aptly-named Sector V was the newest addition to the Lylat. After Starfox destroyed Bolse's core, the entire satellite underwent a meltdown and exploded, leaving behind an amethyst-colored nebula in a letter V formation. Now that Peppy had explained its origins to Fox, that specific piece of the puzzle fell into place. It was just like Sectors X, Y, and Z. Only this time Fox had single-handedly created his own, forever leaving his mark on the system. His own little signature.

Fox cackled to himself as he sipped his coffee.

Since its inception, Sector V became a favorite hiding place for Venomian escapees. After Fox defeated Andross, the Venomian forces crumbled, and Corneria relentlessly hunted down any remaining soldiers. Given its proximity to Venom, the fact that it was unexplored, and that it was a dangerous cloud of radiation storms and magnetic waves, Sector V was the ideal location for fleeing enemy troops on their way out of Venom.

But of course, Fox would use it as a way _in._

"ROB, we'll hide the Great Fox inside the nebula. I'll go down to the surface alone, so I need you to protect the ship. Be on the lookout for anyone; scavengers picking through Bolse's wreck, escaping Venomians, or even pirates searching for a new hideout. Anyone who might be interested in an unmanned dreadnought. And that _includes_ Cornerians. Can I count on you?"

 _"Yes Fox. The ship is safe with me."_

Fox patted the robot's head again. "Attaboy."

The vulpine summoned a holoscreen to mirror his current appearance. He grimaced when he saw his unkempt coat, mussed-up hair, droopy eyes, dirty underclothes, and general slouching posture.

"Ohhh boy," he murmured, shaking his head. "Fox, you've really let yourself go."

The gears in ROB's head whirred. _"Do you want a second opinion?"_

"Nobody asked you, ROB," Fox grumbled. Then, lifting the coffee cup to his mouth, he quietly added, "Guess the day has finally come for the hero of Lylat to once again put on pants."

X

An hour later found Fox seated in his Arwing, flying hundreds of miles above Venom's surface. To his own amazement, his appearance had made a miraculous recovery since that morning. He was nearly as dashing and cleanly-groomed as he had been during the Lylat Wars. His forest green jumpsuit wasn't wrinkled, his white flight jacket was crisp and clean, and his favorite red bandana wrapped neatly around his neck. Well, it was more than just his 'favorite'. It was once his father's, and the only memento Peppy had been able to bring back to Fox after…

After he never returned from this very planet.

What scared Fox the most about Venom was that sole fact. Three months ago when he flew through the labyrinthine trenches and canyons, all he could think about was how his father had met his fate in the same place. At any moment, Fox was worried that he might turn a corner and come upon his father's wrecked Arwing. Perhaps the next valley would result in a dead end, and he'd be trapped by hundreds of Venomian ships just like his father. Or maybe while entering Andross's stronghold he would come upon James's captured fighter. Everywhere he went, the death of his father still haunted him.

A strong glint of light shone on the horizon, catching Fox's attention. He sped towards it.

It was the Venomian Orbital Research Station; the same one that had notified General Pepper about Andross's early activities on Venom. Andross had captured it before the outbreak of the war, and for several years all communications from the satellite went dead. Fox shivered to think what might've happened to the occupants at Andross's hands. But of course after the war, the Venomians abandoned it, and the Cornerians reclaimed the station for use as a military checkpoint.

"Attention fighter craft, you are entering Venomian airspace. This is a secure military sector, and you will not be permitted entrance until you have verified your identity and security clearance."

Fox began lazily orbiting the VORS in wide circles. He switched on his dash cam to broadcast the interior of his cockpit to the airspace controllers.

"Uh, this is Fox McCloud of Starfox, paying you boys a little friendly visit. I was wondering if you might give me access to a surface hangar?"

In response, the station controller connected his own video feed. The husky guard looked genuinely surprised.

"Oh, Mr. McCloud! It's an honor, sir! We weren't expecting you here. There's nothing on the flight schedule for your arrival. Perhaps you've come to observe the trials?"

Oh right, those were going on today, weren't they? Perhaps he could descend to the surface under the guise of spectating the court proceedings, and in the meantime search for a way into the labs.

"That is my secondary objective for being here, yes," Fox said. "But I was hoping I could find some work helping you boys clear out the labs."

The air controller pursed his lips. "Mmmm I'm afraid we can't let you do that without proper clearance, Mr. McCloud."

Fox's heart sank.

"You'd first have to get the approval of an officer or research director with the proper rank. I'm sorry, but you'll have to turn ba-"

"Fox, Fox is that you?!" a new voice cut into the line.

The tod thought he recognized it. Cautiously he asked, "Mr. Toad?"

"Fancy meeting you here, Fox!" Beltino Toad cried. Apparently he couldn't connect a video feed, as his face never appeared on screen. "What are you doing here, my boy?"

Fox smiled, instantly feeling hopeful once again. "Oh, you know, just feel kinda restless. I need to verify for myself that Venom is completely subdued and quiet, so I thought I'd stop by to convince myself. But it seems I don't have the proper clearance to-"

"Proper clearance? Nonsense! You're my guest. As research director of the Venomian Containment and Reclamation Program, I grant you the highest clearance I can afford! Within reason, of course. Come on down, I'll give you a tour!"

Beltino ended the call, leaving just Fox and the airspace controller. The canine's face burned red.

"Uh, Fox McCloud you are cleared for landing. Please use hangar 012 on the eastern side of the compound. Enjoy your stay in…Venom."

Fox waved before he switched off his camera. "You do your job well, kid."

One of the benefits of being a war hero was that you earned the right to call anyone, even people your own age, 'kid.'

X

Following atmospheric entry, Fox landed his Arwing inside hangar 012. He popped his canopy and hopped onto his wing before jumping to the ground. Dusting himself off, he looked around the hangar. It had the usual grime and filth present in most Venomian facilities. Outside the atmospheric forcefield, the muddy clouds of Venom drifted by like toxic sludge. The wind bellowed and howled, but inside he was safe from its wrath. Fox realized he'd ever set foot on Venom's surface before this moment; this was his first time. Well, even then he was still inside a research compound.

Hearing footsteps, he turned and noticed a contingent of Cornerian soldiers lead by a short and squat amphibian; Beltino Toad. Deceptively named, the frog stood only as tall as Fox's shoulders; much like Slippy. His skin was older and more leathery than his son's, and his upper lip bore a thin pencil mustache. He wore a white lab coat and gold, square-rimmed spectacles on his snout.

"Well well, if it isn't Fox McCloud, Lylat's star hero!"

Fox rolled his eyes and shook hands with the scientist, who surprised him by turning it into a hug.

"I owe you a lot for keeping my son safe!"

"Thanks Mr. Toad, but we owe your son for keeping our ships in working condition. And of course without your cutting-edge Arwings, the course of the war would've been entirely different!"

"Oh! Haha, well, I guess you could say that." Beltino blushed after Fox turned the praise back on him. As they chatted, the Cornerian soldiers gingerly began checking out his Arwing; scanning the hull, x-raying the interior, and searching the cockpit and storage compartments.

Beltino waved a webbed hand. "Ah, don't mind them. They're just doing their duty. They have to check your ship for hazards and such."

Fox patted the long barrel of his Arwing's right plasma cannon. "Other than the obvious?"

The scientist laughed and grasped his belly. "Haha, precisely! I know it seems silly and all, but it's a precautionary measure. You never know when someone might try to sneak in or out of the base with Venom's secrets. Or perhaps an enemy scientist might come to destroy Andross's work before, god forbid, we use it for good."

Beltino lead Fox out of the hangar and into the research compound proper. It sure was a sight. The Venomian labs were filthy as it was, but add onto that the fact that a battle took place in these cramped halls, and the whole compound turned into a real mess. Pockmarks from lasers had burned holes into the walls. The edges of hallway corners were chipped away by soldiers trading fire. But at least since then the Cornerians had tried to bring some semblance of cleanliness and order to the labs.

Beltino had Fox stop at a checkpoint before they got much further.

"Sorry about all the heightened security," Beltino apologized again.

Fox removed anything that contained metal from his person before stepping through the metal detector. He set his PDU, phone, keys, and wallet in a basket that the security guards checked through. They even scanned his PDU to make sure it contained no malevolent programs that might be used against the lab's computers.

Fox was relieved he had accounted for this. He'd never be able to download data onto his PDU or sneak out with a computer; the Cornerians would inevitably scan it and find him out. Nor could he transmit the data off the base, because they were monitoring all incoming and outgoing traffic. No, he had a better plan.

Once Fox had dressed on the other side of the metal detector, Beltino placed a guiding hand on his shoulder (or at least tried to; he could only reach his lower back).

"Ready to begin your tour, Fox?"

He nodded. "Of course, Mr. Toad."

The frog clucked his lips. "Please, just 'Beltino' will suffice."

"Haha, alright."

Fox followed Beltino through the maze-like halls of the laboratory. He was amazed by just how expansive it was; it seemed to go deeper and deeper, never ending. There were many side rooms and cordoned-off sections that Beltino explained they had to keep secret, but that it was nothing personal against Fox. Military secrets and all. The amphibian excitedly explained what lay inside many of the rooms and some of the stranger projects Andross had commissioned and helped in. Fox had to resist the urge to blurt out a question about Andross working with his mother, or he risked spoiling his whole operation.

They continued passing Cornerian guards who patrolled the halls and stood at sentry posts outside certain doors. Besides military personnel, a great deal of scientists and technicians scurried about with specimens and tablets.

"So, if you're here," he asked Beltino, "Does that mean Space Dynamics is in charge of cleaning out Andross's labs?"

"Yes indeed, it does. The Cornerian government contracted with Space Dynamics, and my superior Yaru de Pon elected me to manage things on this end. I'm in charge of the whole operation, you see. I have to see to it that all Venomians remaining in the labs are captured, I have to make sure that all the dangerous experiments are neutralized and any surviving test subjects are cared for, and I have to sort through potentially valuable Venomian projects. Andross was a madman, yes, but insanity often walks hand-in-hand with ingenuity and creativity. In a normal war, if the victors are moral, they are entitled to recompense from the offending, losing side. Andross caused grave amounts of destruction and death throughout the Lylat System. Since he is dead and his empire dissolved, it's up to us to exact that recompense for ourselves. For every horrible experiment the Venomians dreamed up, there's another that is actually beneficial and could possibly help the Lylat recover. It's our job to sort through them all, Fox."

"Still, I'm surprised they'd hire a private company to do the task. And that you were able to beat out Phoenix Corp for the job."

"Hmm? Phoenix Corp? Well, haha, you don't know yet, but what you said is quite funny. But pretend I didn't say anything."

Fox cocked his head. "Huh?"

Beltino simply continued. "As for your former statement, don't be too surprised Corneria has to hire private companies to do its heavy lifting. After all, they hired you in times of need, did they not?"

"Oh. Good point."

Together they passed a viewing window that looked out onto one of the large trenches scarring Venom's surface. The lab was carved into the cliff face and most likely descended even deeper than the valley itself. The pair stopped for a moment to look out over the windswept wasteland. The overcast skies only let in a dim light, causing the land to be in perpetual twilight. Except of course for the nights, which were pitch black.

From their vantage point they could see clear down the canyon to the center of Andross's complex. On the opposite side of the pyramid Fox flew into was a completely new building the Cornerians had constructed. It was the courtroom of the ICC.

"You know your friend Bill Grey is attending the trials now?" Beltino asked, nudging Fox.

"Bill? Here? That's a nice surprise. I'll try to make it over there today after we finish the tour."

A sharp pain stabbed at the front of Fox's skull, and the edges of his vision went a bit fuzzy. He winced and rubbed his forehead.

Beltino noticed his discomfort. "Is everything alright, Fox?"

Fox nodded. "Yeah, just feeling a bit dizzy."

The frog laughed reassuringly. "This place seems to have that effect on people. Is there anything I can get you?"

The tod reached into his flight suit pocket, but discovered his bottle of migraine pills was missing. He patted the rest of his jacket and jumpsuit down, but came up empty. Fox began to panic. He must've forgotten the medication at home! Ughhh!

"Um, know anywhere I could get a quick drink? Just water or something."

"Of course. Down that hall and to the left there are some restrooms. I'll wait here by the, heh heh…scenic view."

Fox followed the simple directions and found a small alcove in the hall. Doors to male and female restrooms bookended the alcove, while a water fountain and a soda machine lay against the back wall. Fox took time to appreciate how much work went into the simple comforts of life. For instance, how the hell Andross managed to get clean, running water on Venom. If it _was_ clean…

The taste could've been better, but Fox couldn't afford to be picky. He splashed some over his forehead and wiped his mouth off with the back of his sleeve. Taking a step back, he observed the soda machine.

He blinked, dumbfounded.

A bright can of Whimsy Cola was advertised on the front, riding a wave of citrusy goodness and dripping with condensation.

That's odd. They came out on Cornerian shelves like yesterday, so how did they manage to get a machine all the way out here, to the lost corner of the Lylat?

Looking closer he realized that the logo for 'Whimsy' wasn't even written in Cornerian.

It was in Venomian.

"What the…"

Suddenly red warning lights sprang to life, and wailing sirens echoed throughout the halls.

The intercom crackled as a panicked voice came on the air. "Warning, a subject has escaped laboratory section 009. Repeat, a subject has escaped lab section 009. Specimen threat level is class A; extremely dangerous. All scientists and non-military personnel must immediately evacuate the area and take refuge in designated safe rooms. Repeat, section 009 must be evacuated immediately."

Hearing the clacks of footsteps, Fox spun around. Beltino was barreling towards him, his lab coat flapping wildly.

"Fox, there's been an emergency!"

"Oh, I thought that's what they meant."

Grabbing hold of Fox's arm he began pulling him away. "We have to evacuate now!"

"What's wrong? What's section 9?"

"Don't you understand!" Beltino hopped up and down. "It's Andross's bioweapons unit! You've seen firsthand the horrible monsters he's created; it could be any number of them! And it looks like one of the most dangerous has escaped!"

Fox clasped Beltino's arm. "I can help! If there are civilians down there, I have to get them out!"

"With all due respect Fox, your expertise lies in space combat! You've never fought one of Andross's monstrosities on foot before!"

"Beltino, trust me, I can do this! I saved Lylat, didn't I?"

The lead scientist furrowed his brow. "Alright Fox, I believe in you. I know I can never stand between you and your selfless desire to help others, so I'll leave you to it. But be _careful!"_

"You can count on me!" Fox said, slapping Beltino's back. "Now, off you go! I'll meet up with you later!"

"Good luck, Fox!" Beltino called back as the two sprinted in opposite directions.

As Fox ran through the flashing red halls, he smirked.

'Selfless desire' my ass. This is my chance to grab some confidential research files in all the chaos…

2nd dose: fr. g. d


	5. A Diamond in the Ashes

X

Mission No. 5

Venom  
Lab Section 009

A Diamond in the Ashes

X

Fox was in luck. Space Dynamics scientists stampeded by him en masse, hurriedly clutching notes with wild-eyed expressions. Some Cornerian guards directed them to safe rooms, while other soldiers hurried with assault weapons deeper into the labs. Fox acted like he was part of the latter group.

The mercenary poked his head into one of the side rooms. "Everyone out, now!" he called, but realized the room was already evacuated. "Alright, score."

He ducked into the room, leaving the door open behind him so no one else would get suspicious and check for stragglers. The room appeared to house network servers and databases. In all the chaos, the researchers had abandoned their computers without shutting them down. This meant that Fox could access information without having to log in – a total free pass.

As he scurried around the computer towers and monitors, he felt anxiety flare up in his stomach, and it wasn't from the possible monster on the loose. Was he really doing this? Was he really about to _steal_ from his fellow Cornerians? This was something someone like Falco would do, but _him,_ Lylat's hero? No one would believe it.

Which was exactly why he could get away with it.

Still, Fox had never committed a deliberate crime like this before. He had never wronged his friends or allies. He _knew_ what he was doing was wrong, and he would have no way of defending himself if caught. For that reason, he hid behind one of the server shelves, out of sight, and occasionally peeked at the door to cover his tail.

Frantically, Fox chose one of the computers that was already logged in and plugged his PDU into it. Thank god Slippy had shown him a few tricks with computers back in the Academy and on the Great Fox. He had an easy time running a backup program and copying the entire system onto his PDU. The entire memory size was over half a terabyte, barely leaving any room on his device. Once it was finished, Fox began beaming the files directly to a console on his Arwing, rather than using the lab's wireless network which would trace the data, or sending it to the Great Fox, which would likewise be traceable.

This process took much longer than copying the files onto his PDU; an _agonizingly_ long time. Fox nearly pulled his head fur out waiting for the data to send. The sirens continued wailing, which, together with the red warning lights, screeched _danger._ He feared that at any second the escaped bioweapon might stumble into the room, or worse; a Cornerian guard who Fox would have to explain himself too. Honestly, he was more worried about the latter.

Of course Fox would've loved to look over the information now, but data mining a large research project was time-consuming, and time was the one thing he didn't have. Well, that and expertise. Once he escaped he would have Slippy analyze everything and report his findings.

Finally the loading bar reached 100% and Fox breathed a sigh of relief. He yanked his PDU out and erased the memory from the device; security would scan it before he could return to his ship to make sure he wasn't stealing research. He then shoved the PDU into his pocket and cleared out of the room. Once again he poked his head out, checking up and down the hallway for any signs of life. Finding nothing, he exited with the goods.

X

Fox would've liked nothing more than to get out of these foul laboratories as soon as possible. He'd already accomplished his primary objective, so why linger? It was time to hightail it off this shit-hole planet.

But at the same time, the hero of Lylat couldn't just turn tail and run. Not when there were people in need. It would look pretty bad if he gave Beltino a hasty goodbye and just beat it.

Groaning in annoyance, Fox turned to run off in the direction of lab section 009. He couldn't believe he had talked himself into doing this.

Fox patched himself into the soldiers' coordination network. He flipped down his green eyepiece, then positioned his microphone, and held a finger to his ear.

"This is Fox McCloud, reporting for duty."

"McCloud?"

"Alright!"

"No way!" came the Cornerians' voices.

"Cut the chatter," the most serious of the voices said. "This is Commander Clayton. It's an honor to work with you, McCloud."

Fox picked up the pace and began sprinting closer to section 009. "Fill me in Commander. What's going on?"

The tod split his attention between listening to the coordination network and checking his surroundings.

"You've probably heard on the intercom, but we've had a security breach in the section 009 labs. Seems a research specimen has escaped, and a dangerous one at that. Space Dynamics scientists are urging extreme caution."

"It's that dangerous?" Fox asked.

"Heh heh, yeah," Clayton laughed nervously on the other end of the line. "Several scientists have been reported missing, and some of our first responders aren't answering our communications. I'm afraid it may have gotten them."

"It?"

" _It._ The eggheads aren't sure which research subject escaped yet. It could be anything, really. A sentient bolus of toxic waste. A giant insectoid freak. An amalgamation of different creatures…or maybe even something deceptively Lylatian. Keep your guard up."

Fox grinned to himself. "Oh I've seen plenty of Andross's handiwork firsthand. Fought mutated sushi on Zoness, exploding starfish and a giant clam on Aquas – even creatures that can survive on Solar."

Collectively the soldiers on the comm network murmured in wonder.

"You know, I wouldn't believe half the stories they told about you," Clayton said, "If it wasn't for the sights I've seen down here."

"Hey, I don't ask questions. I just kill whatever ugly mother-hubbard gets in my way."

An excited voice broke in. "Commander Clayton, I think I've found something!"

"Speak up soldier," Clayton ordered.

"Oh, false alarm. Just a Lylatian. They must be awful hurt though; they're covered in blood. But...it-it can't be! It couldn't be her! _AUGHCK-!"_

Screams of dual pain and terror deafened Fox's ears, followed by the soldier's radio turning to static. Then…silence.

"Aimes! Aimes, do you copy?" Clayton shouted worriedly. "Shit…everyone, stay on your guard."

Fox slid to a stop.

Up ahead the lights were off. The sirens were silent. It was pitch black; the red wash of light bathing the halls simply faded into complete shadow, leaving not a single hint at what lay ahead.

The young vulpine gulped, but pressed on into the darkness.

He activated a flashlight on his wrist unit, shining a spotlight of fluorescent blue that stabbed into the blackness like a knife. The light guided his way deeper into the lab, but every which way he angled it created new shadows that danced across the floor and walls, frightening him.

The red glow of the warning lights faded behind him, and only an echo of the alarms remained. There was no turning back. Shadow lay before and behind him, so he might as well press on.

Soon there was absolute silence, just as there was absolute blackness. Fox's sensitive ears struggled to pick up noises that might give the monster away, but the sound of his own footsteps and heavy breathing was amplified a hundred times, drowning out anything else. Each step seemed like he was shattering glass or committing some other uproariously load act. He tried regulating his breathing, but wasn't very good at it.

Was he scared? he asked himself.

Emphatically, yes.

Fox had the sudden realization that he wasn't in his element. Beltino was right; he was second to none in aerial combat, but on foot? He wasn't anything special. Against the usual brainless Venomian thug, maybe, but this…creature seemed far from normal. He had bragged to the soldiers about all the monstrous-sized bioweapons he had bested in the sky, but the truth was he would rather fight something a thousand times bigger from the comfort of his Arwing than a Lylatian-sized enemy in hand-to-hand.

His flashlight's beam alighted on something on the floor.

Fox sucked in a breath and held it.

It was a Space Dynamics researcher.

At least, it _was._

Fox couldn't even make out what species it had been, except that it was mammalian. Other than that, its condition left it beyond recognition. The Lylatian was torn to shreds, its tattered white labcoat clinging to his body in bloody scraps. Most of the poor soul's limbs had been dismembered, the short stumps bleeding out until they covered the floor ahead in deep red.

"Ohhhhh great…"

Fox quickly danced the beam around the rest of the hallway, identifying several more faceless bodies in similar conditions. So these were some of the missing persons. But what in Lylat's name could've done this to them, without any sort of resistance?

Beyond the violent damage to the scientists, the walls and ceiling showed unnatural signs of destruction. The wall against which one of the researchers lay was caved into a smooth dome shape. Every red warning light protruding from the ceiling was smashed, and the audio system responsible for the sirens was literally ripped from the walls. The wires and speaker nodes hung like vines from newly torn cracks.

Gingerly stepping over the bodies and puddles of blood, Fox placed a finger to his headset and said in a quiet voice, "Uh, Fox here. I found three of the missing scientists. All dead. Something tore them to shreds. I'm guessing whatever did it has extremely sharp claws or some other type of appendage? Be sure to protect your throat and other vital arteries."

"Fox, can you tell us your position?"

He sighed. "Afraid not, Commander. I don't have any maps of the compound or any way of determining my location. It's a…secret laboratory, you see."

"Ugh, you're right. Well, try to be careful. Anything that could create the carnage you saw would tear you to pieces in an instant. Don't travel alone! Wait till someone finds you or make your way backwards until you can meet up with someone."

"Roger that," Fox confirmed. He let his arm swing back down to his side and grimly stared at the mangled corpses scattered around him. With just one laser pistol, he hadn't come prepared.

Before he turned to leave, Fox shone his flashlight down the hall, making sure the monster wasn't lurking a few feet away, waiting for him to turn his back so it could pounce. To his relief the hallway was empty…but as he slid the beam down he noticed a set of red pawprints leading into the darkness.

"What the…"

Fox carefully stepped over the bodies and over to the trail, bending down to examine them closely.

The monster's feet must've been soaked in blood; thus the telltale tracks. They weren't just any nondescript pawprints, though.

They were vulpine. Same as him.

Fox shook his head, his mouth slightly agape. There was no way a Lylatian like himself could have done this. Not a normal one, at least. He briefly debated turning around and meeting up with the soldiers, but brushed the idea aside. He had found a trail leading to the monster, and had confirmed that it was about as strong as himself. Why give up the chase now?

Mustering up his courage, Fox resumed his venture into the labs. He alternated his flashlight from following the prints at his feet to checking the hallway and passages in front of him.

Making things worse, his migraine returned in full force, and he felt it hard to continue. Oh how he longed to be out of here and to get his hands on some medicine. His head hadn't hurt this much since the very end of the war.

His radio crackled, giving way to Clayton's voice. "Listen up men. I've just met with Beltino Toad who gave me a description of the escaped specimen. The breakout happened in section 009, block 40, which holds a number of experimental subjects that closely resemble Lylatians. More specifically, vulpines. All of the subjects are female; and get this, they have _blue fur._ That would cause them to stick out like a sore tail, now wouldn't it?"

"Clayton, this is Fox. I'm following a set of vulpine pawprints as we speak. I should catch up with it soon. Now that we know roughly what species it is, I shouldn't have any trouble subduing it."

"Nice catch, Fox! But be on your guard. The egghead says its looks are deceptive. It's still highly dangerous."

"I'll be fine," Fox reassured the commander. "I assume they want it alive?"

Clayton snorted. "They say _you'll_ be lucky to be alive. Ultimately yes, they'd like to preserve as many specimens as possible, but unfortunately that doesn't seem likely with this one. Kill on sight, Fox."

Fox whistled. "Got it. Fox out."

The tod jogged a few more paces, but realized the footprints were rapidly drying up. The blood had mostly coagulated, and now only left red flakes behind. The trail was growing thin.

Eventually Fox came upon a section of the wall that had been sawn into. It was close to the floor, and cut in a neat, boxlike-shape by professional hands. All of this was to say it couldn't have been the work of the monster who tore it out, as its handiwork was much more vicious.

However, the pair of mangled doors forced open beside it _was_.

Fox shined his light above the door, spotting a plaque which read 'Block 40'.

This was it; the specific lab the monster had originated from. Perhaps it had returned here for comfort, or maybe it had gone some other path when its trail turned invisible, and Fox just happened to stumble here. Whatever the case, Fox was determined to check inside.

Turning off his flashlight, Fox wedged himself through the pair of broken doors. His eyes hadn't even adjusted to the dark when they took in the soft blue glow that filled the room. The lab was filled with upright, cylindrical glass tanks. Each was filled with water, or at least had been at one time. It seemed like nearly every tank had been smashed or shattered open, spilling whatever fluids contained within onto the floor. In fact, the floor was slippery with the stuff. Fox knelt down and wiped a finger pad through the liquid, then brought it up to his nose to sniff.

Cryofluid. Some sort of organic compound that could keep a body indefinitely alive in stasis. The rest of the monsters were probably kept suspended in the stuff.

Fox's nose wrinkled, and he frantically waved his hand to flick the cryofluid from his finger. He wiped the remainder on his pants.

He flicked on the night vision function in his eyepiece. Scanning the room, he noticed several vulpine bodies littered the floor, but lay completely still. They must've been the dead occupants from the broken tanks, perishing from being deprived of life support. The monster had escaped only to slaughter its own kind.

…But one of the tanks was left intact.

Fox switched off his night vision and approached it. A panel on its side read '#28.' The glass column towered over him, pulsing with the ghostly blue glow of an aquarium. But the liquid paled in comparison to what was actually _in_ the tank.

Fox's jaw dropped open, and his heart failed to beat.

Inside, levitating like an extraterrestrial angel, was a being of strange beauty unmatched by any Fox had seen before. It was unfair to compare her to a vulpine like himself, for her coat of fur made her seem like a different species altogether. She floated freely in the liquid, unclothed, which truly showed off her cobalt pelt and ivory undercoat. The girl was about Fox's age and as lithe as a willow. Like Medusa, Fox found himself frozen to the floor by her beauty, and that was even with her eyes being closed. Only her muzzle was covered; some sort of oxygen mask supplying her with air.

Fox lost all track of time standing there. His heart hadn't stopped beating; time had merely frozen between two beats. He felt like he could stare at her unfathomable, otherworldly beauty for the rest of eternity. All worries of the monster were gone; those of completing his primary mission as well. In this moment, he had no future and he had no past; only _now._

Then as soon as the moment came, it passed, and Fox felt himself break from his stupor back to reality.

It was a creature like this that had caused the Cornerian soldiers to scream on the other end of the radio network.

It was a creature like this that had torn apart the scientists in the hallway.

Something like this had slaughtered all of its siblings upon escaping.

Now all the fear and anxiety Fox had let go of came crashing back down on him. This was one of the most dangerous specimens in Andross's labs; not a potential sweetheart. If she were to break free, she would kill Fox and everyone else in the labs without hesitation, and then they'd have _two_ powerful enemies on their hands.

Suddenly the vixen's eyes fluttered dreamily open, and Fox once again found himself staring. They were so pretty and seemed to sparkle with a light of their own, like a sea of aquamarine stars. She glanced around, confused at her present state. Then she caught sight of Fox, and the young tod gulped.

They stood still a moment, sharing each other's eyes.

She can't possibly be the same thing that killed everyone, Fox told himself. She's too innocent. Too kind. Too…beautiful.

Then Fox shook his head and set his teeth. Get a grip, Fox. You've seen the footprints. You've heard the description. It's her alright. They said its type could be deceptively Lylatian. Well it's not. It's a monster that Andross engineered to be this way; a wolf in sheep's clothing. You have to do your duty.

Without warning the creature's eyes went wide. The vixen began struggling inside her tank, gasping into her oxygen mask and clawing at the tubes that connected her to the life support system. Every frantic movement she made frightened Fox, putting him on the defensive at first. He shined his light at the base of the cylinder in front of him, checking on the life support system. Sure enough, it lay in a scrap heap like most of the lab. The other monster might not have broken her tank, but it certainly had damaged her life support beyond function.

With no source of oxygen, the girl began to choke. Her eyes widened and screamed pure fear. It was clear to Fox that she was suffering and close to death.

Well, at least that made his choice easier, Fox thought. His heart went out to the poor creature in that moment. It was like any other bioweapon that Fox had fought during the War. Each one a tortured and mutated creation of Andross that probably had nothing personal against Fox or the people it terrorized. It was just controlled, aimless chaos that Andross used for his own cruel purposes. His father may have died the same way. If there was nothing he could do to save the girl, this was probably for the best.

He decided to put her out of her misery. Like every other unfortunate creature Andross sent his way.

Gritting his teeth and trying to keep a stiff upper lip, Fox raised his blaster and primed it. He set it to eye level and stared down the sights at the girl floating in the tank, aiming for a quick and painless shot to the head. But he kept glancing back at her frightened, pained eyes while trying to line up the shot. In fact, he couldn't take his own eyes off them. The blue gems seemed to reach out to him, pleading for help. She didn't even know what he was going to do. She probably didn't know much of anything, really. Didn't understand all the pain she went through at Andross's hands. Her life up to this point had been only net pain; the fact that at any point death would have been a better choice than suffering even an instant longer under the scalpel. Her whole life, a tragedy ending in this moment.

Fox's blaster shook in his paws. Tears escaped his own eyes. Clenching them shut, he placed the safety back on his blaster and holstered it. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't kill her. Her story couldn't end this way.

The tod raced over to the side of the tank and pressed his palms against the smooth glass. From inside, the poor vixen did as well, laying her paws against his own, but a cruel wall of glass separated them. She stared at him with mournful eyes, begging him to free her before she drowned or suffocated in the solution, while Fox looked up at her helplessly. The mask came off and she tried to speak to him, but bubbles escaped her lips as the cryofluid rushed in to fill her mouth.

Going into full-on panic mode, Fox leapt to the control unit on the side of the tank, but nothing seemed to work. He couldn't locate the eject button anywhere, and even if he could he knew it wouldn't function without power.

Fox stumbled away from the unit, palms empty and turned upward, at a loss. The girl's eyes rolled back, and bubbles escaped her mouth.

She began to go limp.

"NO!"

Fox located a crowbar on the floor and dashed towards the tank. Rearing back, he swung the iron tool with all his might at the glass.

A sound like ice cracking rang out through the room, but he only left a smalls scratch.

Fox wound up a second time and swung with a blow even more powerful than the first.

This time hairline fractures raced along the cylindrical wall like spiderwebs.

Infused with new confidence, Fox brought the crowbar crashing against the glass for a third and last time.

The tank finally gave, and large shards of glass rained down in all directions. The cryofluid erupted from the tank like a tidal wave, descending as a wall on top of Fox. It knocked him to the floor and soaked his clothes, sending him onto his rear.

When Fox rubbed the slimy solution from his eyes he raised them to see the vixen had fallen from the cryotank as well. Fox rushed over to her side, nearly slipping on the soaked floor. The fluid around her was stained red with blood, as it looked like she had cut herself on the fragmented glass while falling from her prison. The vixen lay facing away from him, so Fox tilted her over onto her back. When her head rolled around he saw that her eyes were shut, and her mouth slightly open. Her breasts splayed apart but did not rise or fall. Fox urgently placed a hand over her muzzle, but his heart sank when he felt no breath. Fearing the worst, he placed an ear against her damp, matted chest, but felt no heartbeat.

"No-no-no, come on!"

If there was one valuable thing Fox learned at the Academy (besides how to fall in line,) it was CPR. He hurriedly went through the motions, but tried not to panic and rush each step.

First he lay both his hands on her breastbone, pushing down firmly and letting her chest rise back up.

He tried doing this about a hundred times but was so anxious that he lost count. He checked for breathing again, but still came up empty.

"No! You can't die after all this!" he whimpered.

Tilting her head back, he pinched the bridge of her muzzle and placed his mouth tightly against her own. This was the part that always made him uncomfortable during training, but the instructors assured him when the time came to save an actual person's life, he wouldn't even hesitate.

They were right.

Making sure the connection between them was airtight, Fox breathed in through his nose and into the girl's mouth through his own. He did this a couple times before switching back to chest compressions. After a few dozen, he began alternating between trying to breathe life into the vixen and forcing her lungs to move.

After ten painstakingly long minutes, just when Fox was sure it was hopeless, the vixen started and spat out the stasis fluid. Fox reeled back, jumping off of her and placing some space between them. He primed his blaster again, unsure of what to expect. If she was capable of doing to him what the other monster did to those scientists…

The girl continued coughing up fluids until she was dry-heaving. Finally she managed to take in several large breaths, rejuvenating her oxygen-starved lungs. With her breasts heaving, she propped herself upright and stared at Fox. She bore a rather suspicious expression.

Tentatively, Fox took a step toward her.

Her eyes widened and she snarled at him. While Fox preemptively trained his blaster on her again, she struggled to her feet with weak limbs. She managed a few shaky steps before she slipped on the cryo-soaked floor and fell to her haunches with a yip of pain. With her eyes trained on Fox she limped away on all fours, but unintentionally backed into a corner.

Fox didn't know what to do or even _think._ Moments ago he had effectively resurrected her from death, but she was probably unconscious for the important part where he broke her free and resuscitated her. From the dual look of fear and hatred in her eyes, he was probably just another one of Andross's minions to her.

But he had to do something. Her slashed legs and side continued to drip thin rivulets of blood onto the floor. Cowering naked in the corner, she shivered, reminding Fox just how cold it was in the underground lab. And yet in her weakened state, she stared Fox down with defiant eyes.

Cautiously sheathing his blaster, Fox determined to approach her. He couldn't just abandon her down here, especially with the other one running about murdering everything in sight. So Fox began to search around the room.

The vixen never took her wary eyes off him. She sat in the corner, shivering and trying to hold in whimpers of pain.

Fox located a set of metal lockers along one of the walls. The only unlocked cabinet held a long white lab coat, which he gratefully took.

Turning back, he began slowly approaching the blue-furred fox. He held out the lab coat like a peace offering; his own white flag of truce. She glanced confusedly between the coat and Fox, who did his best not to appear threatening.

Once Fox reached her side he knelt down. This caused the girl to snarl and try backing further into the corner, making herself as small as possible.

"Hey, hey!" Fox said in a calm voice – though in truth he felt anything _but_ calm, as he feared at any minute she might summon super-Lylatian strength and bite his head off. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm here to help. I…I saved you, remember?"

He held out the coat to the vixen, but she gasped and tried to retreat into the corner more.

Fox thought about putting the coat on her himself, but realized he couldn't force it on. Knowing how trapped she must feel he decided to give her some space. Instead he backed away several yards until the girl could escape on either side if she so desired.

Fox sat down on the floor, the seat of his pants quickly sopping up the cryofluid. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He lay his chin atop his knees and studied the girl. He'd let her make the first move.

"Alright. If you don't want my help, what are you going to do?"

His voice fell on deaf ears as the vixen continued to look confused at him.

"Where are you going to go? How are you going to find your way out of here by yourself, in that condition?"

She probably didn't even speak Cornerian. But at least his gesture was getting somewhere. The girl seemed to expand from the corner a bit and loosen up. When she judged that Fox was far enough away from her and didn't present any immediate threat, she finally took her attention off of him and onto herself.

She drew her legs in close and frowned at the blood soaking her right appendage. She bowed her head and began licking the blood off, but kept an eye on Fox the whole time, watching him distrustfully.

His heart ached. He wished he could make it easier to bear her suffering, but she wouldn't let him come anywhere near her yet.

When she finished with her leg she moved on to licking the small cuts on her hands, still watching Fox from the corner of her eyes. Finally she gave up on her wounds and lay still, the two vulpines sitting quietly on the floor, locked in a war of attrition. Would Fox approach the girl or leave her first, or would she get curious and approach him?

For the first time that day, Fox found peace in the labs. Surely the monster was out prowling the halls…somewhere, but not here. The blue glow from some of the remaining empty tanks cast a melancholy hue over the room, in stark contrast to the urgent red warning lights from before. The room was silent besides the quiet drip of liquid from her shattered tank. The sound was comforting. In fact, the overall effect was one of complete calmness for Fox; and, of course, the vixen.

As the seconds wore on, Fox's opponent lowered her guard more and more. She set to work squeezing the slimy fluid from her azure crop of short hair and her bushy tail. She tried brushing the gross solution from her fur as well, wiping down her shoulders and arms with her paws as if bathing. The ritual was enough to make Fox blush and look awkwardly away.

Eventually after sitting still with nothing to do, the vixen became restless. Fox's iron will could keep him still indefinitely, but her curiosity was much stronger. Cocking her head, she began approaching him on all fours. She continued at a slow, cautious pace, inadvertently making it impossible for Fox to take his eyes off her. He kept stealing glances at her swaying breasts or the tail that poked into the air behind her. Now only a few feet away from Fox, she halted. Her tail swung to-and-fro like a cat's. She studied him without coming any closer.

Then Fox got an idea. Like he had done when she was in the tank, he raised his opened palms to her.

At first the girl started back, but then a look of recognition came over her face. Glancing between Fox's eyes and his hands, she timidly crept towards him until she was close enough to reach out and touch Fox.

Which she did.

She raised her own paws and lay them trembling against Fox's. She opened her mouth and gasped, finally making the connection. The longer she felt his reassuring touch, the less her own paws trembled, until Fox intertwined her fingers with his own.

"See?" he said. "I'm not a threat. I'm not going to hurt you; I want to help."

Reluctantly letting go, Fox unfolded the lab coat and draped it over her shoulders. "Here, this'll keep you warm."

The vixen gratefully accepted it, clutching it tightly around her shoulders. Fox helped guide her arms into the sleeves, then clasped a few of the buttons on the front.

Next Fox needed to stem the blood flow from her leg, which was by far the worst. He removed his red bandana, reasoning that the blood wouldn't show up as much, and wrapped it around her wound.

"You better take good care of that bandana," he mumbled. "It was my father's, you know."

Finally he stood up and offered her a hand. "Come on, I have to get you out of here. It's not safe."

Recognizing the gesture, she took his hand and let Fox lift her to her feet. Once in a standing position, her legs shook and nearly buckled again, but Fox caught her before she fell.

"Uh-oh, can you walk?"

Gritting her teeth, she rose to her feet again but had to keep an arm around Fox for support.

"That's it, power through it," he said encouragingly. He knew she couldn't understand him, but assumed that at least she could find solace in the tone of his voice.

"Now we have to find a way out of here…"

X

With some difficulty, Fox helped the girl out of block 40. He started back the way he came, hoping to run into some guards instead of the monster. Like before he used his free hand to shine a light on the floor, hunting for the trail of bloody footprints. He hoped the girl wouldn't panic at the sight of the corpses when he passed them.

It seemed like the farther they moved on, the less the vixen needed his support. She felt lighter and lighter until she didn't have to lean on him at all. Fox was amazed at how fast she had recovered, but he was careful not to immediately attribute everything to Andross's genetic tampering. Eventually she was strong enough to walk on her own.

Fox kept the two at a brisk pace, careful to check behind them every once and a while for…it. At any moment it might gallop up behind them or jump out from around a corner up ahead.

His fears were not unfounded.

Just when he discovered the trail of bloody pawprints again, he heard an otherworldly, blood-curdling scream come from behind them.

"It's her!" he exclaimed. "Run!" And he pushed the other vixen forward so that she raced ahead.

Fox stayed several paces behind the girl, making sure to guard their rear. He wondered if it would catch up to them before they reached a saferoom-

Up ahead, the blue-furred vixen had come to a stop. She froze like a deer hypnotized in the headlights as several beams of flashlights danced over her.

"There it is! Don't hesitate, kill it!"

"Oh no…"

Terror gripped Fox when he realized everything was going completely wrong all at once. For one, the Cornerians had just come from the same pile of corpses Fox had passed. For another, the girl was dripping in blood herself after she got cut on the cryochamber. Finally, they had just heard the other vixen scream from her direction.

"Wait, don't shoot!" Fox urgently cried.

"Fire!" the Cornerian guard shouted.

At that moment, Fox had a very regressive, silly thought born of rash youthful stupidity.

At the last second he sprinted forward and stopped in front of the girl, spreading his arms open to shield her.

Several lasers ripped into Fox's torso, and the world erupted in an explosion of pure white.


	6. Rebirth

X

Mission No. 6

Venom  
Laboratory Halls

Rebirth

X

 _Fox was dead._

 _He knew it._

 _He felt it._

 _He simply_ was _it._

 _In fact, he_ wasn't _at all. And that is the main problem with being dead._

 _Or maybe it wasn't that he was nothing, but that he was everything. And everywhere. And everywhen._

 _In contrast to the anxiety and the fear and fatigue he had in life, Fox felt peaceful. He felt painless. Numb, even._

 _Everything was quite clear; overly simplistic to the point where even a child could understand. He saw the guards firing upon him. He saw the lasers, frozen like bright spikes of light protruding from his chest. He saw the strange, blue-furred vixen behind him, safe from the sizzling projectiles. And behind her, in the darkness, another creature lurking._

" _Oh. Well, at least I put my life to good use."_

 _Fox's only reaction was contentment. Satisfaction._

 _His vision kept expanding, even to the point where he could see himself._

" _Wow, I look really goofy in freeze frame. Yikes that's gotta hurt. But if I'm down there, who's this up here?"_

 _Fox felt himself go light as a feather. He rose up through the dark labs of Venom, seeing Beltino and Clayton and all the rest of the occupants. He saw Bill Grey sitting next to Venomian prisoners in what looked like a courtroom, with General Pepper at the head._

" _Boring," Fox said._

 _He saw ROB, passing the time away aboard the Great Fox in Sector V._

 _He saw Falco flying his Arwing through the wreckage of Area 6, probably up to no good._

 _Slippy was asleep at his computer desk, drooling on his mousepad, likely about to get fired._

" _Heh heh," Fox cackled dryly to himself. God he was glad it wasn't a choice between heaven and hell for him, because he knew where he'd end up._

 _Finally he saw Peppy pacing in his beachfront mansion, looking lost._

 _Fox didn't just see these people. He saw_ everyone _, but he only latched onto and understood the ones he knew, plucking them out from a see of billions of parallel lives. He may only recognize these specific ones, but he saw the plight and troubles of everyone else in the Lylat System as they struggled to rebuild houses and factories and farms and heal and live and love in the aftermath of the War._

 _Fox twisted his head and looked up. There, bored through the thick clouds of Venom's atmosphere, was a tunnel of light. At the end was the source of it all; a blinding white star? Fox couldn't tell, but he began to ascend towards it._

 _He floated up through the clouds, which swirled around him like a lazy tornado. The light grew brighter and brighter until it would've blinded any Lylatian, but Fox didn't feel mortal anymore._

 _When he drew close enough, the light at the end of the tunnel materialized into a being clothed in white. It was an orange-furred vixen; his mother, Vixy._

" _Mom…I thought I'd never see you again."_

 _She smiled and laughed down at him; a pleasant giggle that sounded like birds singing in the dawn. Fox flew into her waiting arms and was enveloped entirely, sinking into her warm embrace. An intense feeling of love flooded over him, as strong as a tidal wave. It painted his blank heart of apathy and disinterest with bright colors of emotions. He was home again._

 _In an instant, his eyes saw his life pass before him. It was like watching a river flow in reverse, like he was following it up to its source. He pursued it, seeing the events of his life slide perfectly into place. Everything happened in reverse order; the Cornerian blasters seemed to suck their lasers hungrily back in. Fox and the vixen retraced their footsteps to block 40 and he helped her back into the cryochamber. The liquid jumped off the floor and arranged into a neat column, while shards of glass levitated and seamlessly fit back together. Beltino saw Fox to his Arwing, and he returned to Corneria. He argued with Peppy before putting the pictures back in the secret compartment. Then he and Peppy invited Falco and the girls back to finish their party before they all went off, leaving Fox alone. The previous day, Fara found Fox on the ocean pier and kissed him, telling him that she would stay with him forever._

 _After that the memories picked up pace. He saw himself attending celebrations of V-Day, flying to Venom to put Andross's metallic head back together, and retreating with the rest of Starfox to leave the tortured soul alone. In response, Andross withdrew his troops from all of Lylat: more lasers left the hearts of dead men and returned to Venomian blasters. Buildings flew back together and bombs lifted up into the sky, as if magnetized by Venomian cruisers. General Pepper allowed Andross back to Corneria, and soon after Fox's own father returned._

 _It was impossible to explain to anyone else what was going on, or how B lead back to A and so forth, but to Fox it was quite clear. He was simply a being that observed time going backwards, with effect preceding cause. What if all Lylatians were simply seeing things the wrong way? What if it all lay in their perception? Wars could be averted, so many people would be spared from having to part ways, and loved ones would never die; they'd simply rise from the ground and grow more and more beautiful and youthful until the day they entered their mothers' wombs again. Entropy wasn't a destructive force, but one that brought order to the universe and life from death!_

 _Fox laughed joyously. Of course! That was it! In this moment, he had discovered the key to all happiness in life! It was simply to perceive the true direction of time!_

 _Then he realized he'd continually have to vomit up sandwiches and cram shit into his ass, so he gave up the idea._

 _The memories didn't stop flooding in. The Bolse satellite at Sector Y was rebuilt, and Fox's mom descended from it to embrace him. From there Fox grew younger and younger until he was but a cub. Before he knew it he was back inside his mother's womb again, and could only see the bright red glow of the sun seeping through her skin._

 _He was safe and sound._

 _All of his life's journey, complete._

But then…the sensation faded.

The red sunlight seeping through skin became the flashing emergency lights of the labs.

The warmth of his mother's womb was merely a pair of legs cushioning his head.

I'm…back?

Sure enough, Fox was once again in the hopeless clutches of Venom's laboratories. He didn't necessarily feel disappointed. He was just…confused. If he was going to die, he might as well follow through with it.

Fox patted himself down until he reached his blaster. Nonchalantly, he aimed it at his head.

"Well, ready for round two?"

He considered pulling the trigger but ultimately decided against it. He'd already had the trip once. If you die once, you've died a thousand times, you know?

Fox holstered the blaster, closed his eyes and snuggled back into his pillow, or whatever it was. "Five more minutes…" he murmured.

"Hel…hello?"

The sound of a girl's voice, coming from above him.

Fox blinked and looked up, finding himself staring up the lithe torso of the vixen he had saved. She peered down her chest at him, giving him a look of genuine concern.

The vulpine realized she had tenderly cradled his head in her bare lap, which explained the pleasant warmth. Reluctantly he lifted his head from its cushion and gave the girl some space. Strangely, his migraine seemed to be gone without a trace. Perhaps sleeping on angelic legs like those was better than medicine.

He sat up next to the vixen and wondered aloud, "How am I still alive?"

Maybe he'd only imagined the lasers earlier. Maybe they only gave him flesh wounds or missed him entirely. He was also willing to brush the crazy experience he just had as another side effect of the migraine pills. But just when he had convinced himself that was the case…

…He lay a paw on his chest and felt something warm and sticky.

Sure enough, it came away soaked in blood.

In fact, his whole _torso_ was soaked in blood. Fox normally would've felt anxiety at this point, but for some reason it was mysteriously absent; as if the dream had given him intense confidence and direction. Without hesitating, he lifted his shirt and revealed his normally fluffy white underbelly likewise saturated in red.

He raised his head and looked back up at the vixen in amazement.

"Did…did you have something to do with this?"

At the very least, she had dragged Fox away from where the guards had shot him, and the real monster was closing in. Finally looking around, Fox realized she had hidden them both in a crawlspace behind a web of rusted pipes and wires, somewhere off the main hallway.

"Wow, you carried me here all by yourself?" he asked.

The girl shook her head in confusion; not because she hadn't carried him, but because she couldn't understand. She opened her mouth and spoke.

"Tashich nīe verkaru."

Venomian!

Fox involuntarily recoiled when he heard the foul language, even if it came from a voice as musical and sweet as her own. In fact, it made it worse. But of course she'd speak Venomian; she was raised in Andross's labs, after all. But…was this all she knew? Was she really born here?

Fox wished he had a translator with him, but he was confident they could communicate well enough without one. At least for the time being. And hadn't she said 'hello' when he first awoke? Maybe she understood _some_ Cornerian.

"Well, this is a screwed-up mess we're in." He was talking more for his own sake than hers. "I don't know what to do with you. I guess we're even for saving each other's lives, but...I can't just leave you here with that other monster running around. Nor can I take you with me to the Cornerians, or they might kill you like those other soldiers tried to, and we'd wind up back here again. Or worse, they might put you back in cryosleep to keep you from possibly hurting anyone. I'm beginning to think the Cornerians just took over Andross's experiments to continue them for themselves," Fox joked.

Everything he said of course flew over her head, but she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Tashich nīe holleshī nizu ghen."

Fox patted her hand reassuringly, but continued talking aloud. "No, I don't know what they'll do to you once I safely return you. It's the responsible thing to do, but…I'd be worried I'd never see you again."

"Verzai mito tashich..."

"No, I'd…better take you with me," Fox concluded. "I can't trust you with them. And besides, you're one of Andross's experiments. There's a chance my mom might've helped with your creation. May even be something explaining your existence in those files I stole..."

"Tashich...tashich...siekim." She seemed frustrated, as if grasping for a Venomian word that even she didn't know.

Fox snapped his fingers. "Which are back in my Arwing! Ugh! I can't go back and get them without being spotted. We'll have to search for some other way out of here and board my Arwing on the surface." He shivered at the thought. After all, Venom was where they exiled the worst of criminals to rot to death. He didn't know how long _he_ could survive in the wasteland, much less the girl.

The decision was made for him as the sound of military boots echoed down the hall. With how far the echoes traveled ahead they had plenty of time to make a break for it.

"Come on, let's go!"

Fox grabbed the vixen's hand and together they wiggled out of the crawlspace. It took a minute for them to stretch their sore legs, but once they were warmed up they managed to run down the halls in the opposite direction. As before, the girl didn't even need his help. Of course not, Fox thought, if she could manage to drag him all that way to safety on her own. Perhaps he was underestimating her.

He shuddered to think what the _real_ monster had done to the Cornerian soldiers they left behind.

X

Rather than return to the surface hangar where he stashed his Arwing, Fox forged deeper into the labs. If they were lucky they would find an exit into the bottom of the canyon, or perhaps an airduct. It also meant they'd be less likely to run into Cornerian guards.

All of the sections and sub-blocks they passed were already evacuated and sealed-off. They met no other lifeforms in the silent darkness.

Apparently they were back in the domain of the other research subject, for the warning lights and sirens were all destroyed. At least they had some peace and quiet, but their visibility was next to zero and their footsteps would be easily heard in the hall's magnifying acoustics.

"McCloud!" Fox's radio buzzed. "McCloud, the specimen has killed four more of my troops, all travelling together. I've had to call in backup from the courthouse. If you're still able to, get out of there now! Even _you're_ not cut out for this!"

Fox raised his hand to his headset but stopped before switching on his mic. He couldn't afford to answer the commander.

"McCloud?" the officer repeated, worry in his voice. "McCloud?! Oh no…oh no, he can't die on my watch. Hurry up and find that escaped Cerinian!"

Fox switched off his radio so he wouldn't be temped to answer again. Better that the Cornerians thought he was dead than alive and escaping with one of Andross's research subjects. But at least he had learned a new piece of information.

"So…you're a Cerinian?" Fox asked.

The girl's ears perked at the word.

"Well, on the bright side I know the name of your species. Though I still don't know _your_ name. Do you even have a name?"

The girl only gave him a blank look as she walked by his side.

"Let's see, there was a number on your tank. Number 28?"

Another slight look of recognition crossed her face.

"Number 28, huh?" Fox's shoulders slumped. "I guess they didn't even give you a name. That must suck. Everyone has a name. Take mine, for example. It's James, after my father. I know it's not unique, but it's special sharing a name with your parent. It gives you a responsibility to carry on their legacy. It lets their name live on, even when they're…dead…"

Fox trailed off. He realized by the sad tone of his voice he was causing the blue-furred…er, the Cerinian, undue worry.

"You probably don't have any parents, either," he continued. He had to fill the eerie silence somehow. "You were probably born here, or maybe separated at an early age to undergo experiments. I wonder which is worse? To have had parents and lost them both, or to have never known parents and not even know what their loss is like? But it's an age-old question. Everyone already has their answers. Still, we're alike in that way, you and I."

"Yamalt!" the vixen hissed. Her head swiveled from side to side, ears perked.

"What?" Fox whispered, spinning the flashlight around.

She pointed, and Fox shone his wrist unit down a long hallway on their right.

At the very edge of the beam where it dissipated into darkness, his light fell upon a bent figure crouched over a corpse.

At first Fox thought it was a Cornerian guard checking on one of the monster's victims. That notion faded as the creature slowly rose to its feet, revealing back-length hair and a feminine form.

"It's her!" Fox hissed, grabbing the girl's arm.

Too late; she spotted them.

The Cerinian tilted her head up and let loose a chalkboard-grating howl that made Fox's spine quiver.

"Run!" Fox shouted. He urged the girl along and they broke into a sprint down the previous hall they were heading towards. Abnormally loud and fast footsteps echoed from behind, urging them on more.

Suddenly a light fixture flew over their heads, landing on the floor ahead and shattering.

Had the Cerinian thrown that from all the way back there?

In answer to his question, a fire extinguisher and a defibrillator followed suit. Fox chanced a quick glance over his shoulder, only to see the mad Cerinian bounding after them on all fours. A metal gurney in front of her seemed to fly into the air all by itself and rocket straight towards them.

"Look out!"

Fox tackled the vixen at his side out of the way, just in time for the gurney to sail past them and smash on the floor. The two vulpines fell into a parallel hallway, now losing precious time.

Fox spotted the entrance to a large air vent near the floor. With a quick blast from his pistol, he blew one end of the cover off and tore the other free with his hand.

"In here!" he gestured.

The girl ducked low and squeezed into the vents, with Fox quickly following behind her. Thankfully the ducts were quite spacious, as Andross's laboratories required a large atmospheric cleansing system to combat Venom's noxious air.

Fox urged the girl on from behind, helping her climb forwards and put space between themselves and the entrance. But eventually he had her stop, and the two remained as quiet as possible. They did their best to hold their breaths and emit little noise, as the other Cerinian had rounded the corner.

They could hear her claws clacking against the floor as she searched in confusion. As far as she knew, her prey had just vanished. They'd successfully pulled one over on her.

A pair of gleaming eyes crept into the vent entrance behind them.

Fox gasped and fired a blaster shot at what he thought was the monster's head. The woman howled and withdrew herself from the vents. But then to Fox's surprise the section holding the entrance was crushed together like a tin can.

"That's not fair!" he yelled in panic. As one-by-one, the duct sections were crushed towards Fox, he hurriedly urged the girl in front of him on. They crawled at little more than a snail's pace until he heard a surprised yip, and the vixen disappeared from in front of him.

"Hello?!" Fox aimed his wrist light ahead, identifying a hole that lead to a vertical section of the vent. Blind in the darkness, the poor girl probably tumbled into it by accident…but perhaps it was a stroke of luck.

"Gangway, I'm coming down!"

Fox dove into the hole, slowing his descent by keeping his hands pressed firmly against the walls on the way down. He must've descended ten or so feet before reaching the bottom, where he found the vixen rubbing a bump on her head.

"Maybe I should've lead the way, huh?" Fox angled the light around until he found another vent cover. Through the slats he saw red flashing light streaming in and heard the grating alarm klaxons. "Well, at least we're down a level. That should buy us some time while she finds-"

A tremendous crash sounded outside, and a large chunk of plaster and steel beams crashed to the floor. He heard the plaster crumble into dust and the support beams squeal in protest.

"…stairs."

Just as Fox feared, the beast had caught up with them. This time she didn't just crush the ducts; she completely tore them free from the wall and hurled them into the hallway. The vixen by his side looked at him with worried eyes. She grabbed his hand, but only had it torn away when Fox's section of vent was ripped through the wall.

The thin steel casing collapsed around Fox when it struck the floor, and Fox coughed in the cloud of dusty plaster left behind. The Cerinian didn't give him any time to recover though, and in an instant Fox found himself lifted from the floor. Powerful, super-Lylatian paws gripped his arms and thrust him against the wall, leaving scarlet handprints on his sleeves. Sirens blared in his ears, and the ruddy warning lights strobed mercilessly in his face.

The Cerinian had him tightly pinned against the wall. She was larger then the girl he saved, and older, too. But most of her sapphire blue fur was coated in crimson red; it looked like a bucket of blood had been up-ended over her head and drenched down her shoulders. In fact it soaked almost every inch of her fur, matting her long, back-length hair, covering her face in a bloody mask, seeping down her shoulders and breasts, and staining her lighter-colored belly. She was the pure image of carnage; Fox's approaching death staring him in the face.

The Cerinian snarled and shifted one hand to Fox's throat, strangling him. She stepped in close to Fox so that her hot breath suffocated him and her body wiped stains of blood on his uniform. She stared into his dying eyes for several seconds, feeding off their fading light. She opened her jaws and growled before clamping them down over Fox's muzzle.

The young tod managed but a muffled scream. At first he dug at the claws strangling his throat, then went for the blade sheathed at his waist. Gripping the handle with one fist, he plunged it into her right arm.

The blood-soaked vixen screeched and stumbled back, relinquishing her grip on Fox. The vulpine fell to the floor, gasping for breath, but as soon as he could he rolled away.

So she _could_ be hurt. Fresh plasma oozed from the knife wound in the creature's forearm, but it was like a drop of blood in an already scarlet sea.

Placing more space between them, Fox drew his blaster, aimed, and fired a shot directly at her heart.

The Cerinian made eye-contact with him at the last second. The green bolt of laser energy sailed through the air faster than the eye could follow-

And dissipated mere inches before reaching its target above her left breast.

The muzzle of Fox's blaster lowered. "Wha-what?"

The scarlet-furred vixen bared her sparkling, blood-yellowed teeth, and he suddenly found himself floating weightless into the air.

What the hell is going on?! he thought.

He now hovered three clear feet above the ground, kicking and flailing desperately. A powerful force constricted around his throat, once again choking him; this time, without the use of hands.

Through blurry eyes, Fox watched in disbelief as the vixen managed to strangle and lift him into the air…from three full yards away.

Some sort of…telekinesis? Fox wondered in his last few moments. Darkness seeped at the edges of his vision, but he refused to slip away so easily. No, he had to stay alive. There wasn't any way he could die; not after being brought back like that. Who dies and comes back to life only to die again seconds later? His second life couldn't be squandered like this!

His faith was rewarded.

The other vixen slipped out of the mangled air duct and planted herself behind the larger, crimson-furred woman. She stared at the back of her head and clenched her fists defiantly.

To Fox's amazement, the blood-soaked Cerinian dropped to her knees and clutched her head, as if in pain. Fox unceremoniously fell to the floor and landed on his rear. Without hesitation he scrambled for his blaster, which he primed and aimed at the incapacitated vixen.

The girl ceased her mental attack, stepping around to the front of the fallen vixen. Her eyes widened when she saw her crying in pain. Tears rained from her eyes, clearing the blood away and exposing some of the blue and white fur on her face.

Just like her own...

Fox lined up a shot to her head and began squeezing the trigger.

"NĪE!"

The cobalt-furred Cerinian jumped in front of Fox, spreading her arms. The movement caused her over-sized lab coat to billow around her thin frame. She stood firmly between Fox and the other woman, keeping him from firing.

"Move!" Fox ordered, gesturing with his blaster.

But the girl only repeated, "Nīe!" glaring harder at Fox.

Reluctantly, Fox lowered his blaster. Curious, he stepped around the girl and craned his neck to see their enemy.

She seemed like…a brand new person.

The Cerinian sat on the floor, arms wrapped around her knees as she curled into a tight ball. She rocked forwards and backwards, like a baby trying to rock itself to sleep. She looked frightened, and lost, and docile.

To make sure, he knelt down in front of the pacified Cerinian and waved a hand in front of her eyes. The red-stained orbs darted over to him, looking frightened.

Fox looked back at the lab coat-clad Cerinian. "How did you…?" But he trailed off, knowing he wouldn't get an answer.

Yet.

His own Cerinian crouched beside them. Hesitantly she jerked Fox's knife from the other woman's arm. Next, with a look of determination on her face, she unwrapped Fox's bandana from her own wounded leg and wound it around the gash Fox left in their enemy's arm. The bloody Cerinian looked up at her with confused, tear-stained eyes. The girl smiled tenderly back.

Fox had a hard time believing the two could share a moment like this, but in the end, even if she was a monster, both she and her sister had gone through the same experiments and torture at Andross's hands. Maybe they're the closest things they have to family, Fox thought.

Rushing footsteps echoed down from the hole in the ceiling. The Cornerians, Fox realized. He grabbed the younger girl's arm. "We've got to run!"

Together they stood up, but the other Cerinian didn't rise with them. She just stared in wonder at Fox's bandana tied around her arm.

Fox hated to leave her, but he didn't like the idea of having to transport two Cerinians around; especially when one had done a very good job of trying to murder him. All he could do was pray the Cornerians would be merciful and spare her this time.

Now the girl lead their retreat from the guards, leaving Fox to look back at the bloodied Cerinian huddled on the floor. The last thing he saw of her was his father's bandana wrapped around her arm.

It dawned on him that he might never see the momento again...

3rd dose: bl. d


	7. In the Open

At the head of a squad of Cornerian soldiers was Captain Bill Grey. He hated being called away from the trials to clean up more of Andross's rubbish, but as Commander Clayton had reported, this was no ordinary security breach. As he understood it, a dangerous experiment had escaped and was terrorizing the labs, and if it would serve Lylat, he had no qualms going in after it.

It was last reported somewhere ahead of them. Its trail of debris and carnage made it easy to follow. Just now, they'd stumbled upon a disemboweled ventilator system and a hole in the floor to a lower level.

Bill crouched next to the hole, which was still leaking pieces of plaster. As he anticipated, thermals showed a suspicious heat signature beneath them. It was too warm to be another corpse, unless of course it was killed recently.

The newly promoted captain gave the hand signals ordering the rest of the soldiers to follow on his heels. Mustering up his courage, he dropped through the hole and braced himself before striking the ground below.

As soon as he landed he crouched into a fighting stance and aimed his blaster at the heat signature. From this angle he couldn't tell what it was, but…it looked to be a woman covered in blood.

One by one his men dropped in behind him, all taking defensive stances.

"That's it, Captain!" one of them hissed. "That's not its own blood; it's covered in the blood of its victims!"

Bill looked in horror at the plasma-covered woman. He primed his blaster, hearing the high-pitched whine climb in tone as its energy built up for a deadly bolt. But before he could fire, he noticed something.

Among all the dull crimson bloodstains, a flash of brighter red stood out.

It was Fox's prized bandana.

He raised a fist. "Hold your fire!"

The Cerinian before him looked up. She had been cowering in a seated position, curled up in a tight ball. She stared at him with both fear and curiosity in her eyes, but no malevolence; nothing that communicated the intent to kill.

Sure enough, the red bandana was wrapped carefully around her forearm, now stained from the wound it sealed.

Bill's heart stopped.

"F-Fox…?"

X

Mission No. 7

Venom  
Surface Wasteland

In the Open

X

Fox and his Cerinian charge sank deeper and deeper into the labs. The girl seemed unwitting enough as to what horrors lay behind each sealed door, but not Fox. He might not have known exactly what they contained, but from what he'd seen during the War he knew enough. The fear of the unknown was probably greater than if he could actually see through the walls to the tortured creatures slumbering within. The vixen sensed this fear in him but could not comprehend why.

Fox began to wonder if the lab was a bottomless hell with more and more sick, twisted monsters the farther down one went. Was there even an end? Did all of the demon-possessed ape's work culminate in one awful creature sleeping deep below?

The vulpine's flashlight landed on a red 'Exit' sign, and his heart leapt with relief. He followed the signs until he came to an airlock, but when he tried to open the doors they were sealed. The laboratory was still on lockdown; the exits would be closed tight so that whatever specimen was on the loose couldn't escape.

Seeing that the doors were locked, the mysterious vixen gestured inquisitively to the vents.

She was right! There had to be another way out of the labs, and the girl had found it.

Fox took the lead again, blasting the vent cover from its frame and crawling in.

The going was unbearably slow. The further they crawled through the Beast's intestines the warmer the stale air grew. They had made it to the outgoing section of the air filtration system, meaning it was both hot and muggy. The two vulpines began to perspire, which made them slip awkwardly through the grimy vents like a waterpark slide. Fox's clothes clung tightly to his damp fur, and the air became filled with his sweaty musk.

Eventually he came upon another vent grating, which he likewise blasted. It still managed to cling to its hinges, so Fox spun around in the compact ventspace and kicked outwards with his feet. The cover flew off and clattered to the ground. Fox squeezed himself through the opening and found himself in a large, cylindrical airduct.

The vent exit was on the side of the wall, so as soon as Fox let go he slid down the inside of the curved tube like it was a skateboard park. Coming to a stop at the bottom of the trough, he stood up and brushed his uniform off. He studied his new surroundings. The tunnel was cavernous; it needed to be, with how much constant filtration was required to purify Venom's atmosphere for each building. Fox recognized the airduct immediately; it was the same build as the one he had used to penetrate Andross's lair.

He heard a scuffling behind him, and the young vixen came sliding down after him. She couldn't help but laugh at the ride, which made Fox smile. Even in a dark place like this she somehow found amusement in the simplest of things.

Fox gave her a hand up, and they paused a moment in the warm draft. He wiped some sweat from his brow, then licked a finger and held it up to the air. Once he identified where the airflow was going, they set out in that direction.

They had escaped the Beast's digestive organs and entered its respiratory system. Somewhere deep inside its lungs revitalized the poisonous Venomian air, but Fox and the girl had to find the exit through its nostrils. Each footstep they took echoed horrendously, the soundwaves bouncing back and forth down the spacious tunnels until they disappeared around the corner.

After several minutes of walking, a light shone up ahead, much brighter than any of the service lights lining the airduct. Before they knew it they had stumbled upon the exit.

They perched upon the lip of the airduct, which directly opened out into the valley. Fox remembered seeing it from the viewing window Beltino showed him. He remembered flying through similar cliffs during his initial assault on Venom. But now as he stared through the barren rocks, sharp crags, and dusty riverbed, it was eerily quiet. Fox's ears twitched and swiveled on his head, as if searching for signs of an ambush. The valley should've been swarming with Venomian tanks and fighter craft, but of course was empty.

"Come on, let's make our way down," Fox instructed.

The Cerinian followed him to the edge of the airduct, but suddenly erupted in a fit of coughs.

Fox's nose recoiled, and he understood what was happening. They were now fully exposed to Venom's air. A few minutes would cause uncontrollable coughs. An hour, a nauseous stomach. Several more, and they'd be asphyxiated by the poisonous elements in the atmosphere.

Fox had come prepared for this. He unzipped his small pack and whipped out a filtration mask. If they shared it smartly, they'd be able to survive 4-5 hours in the open.

He first moved to place the mask over the vixen's muzzle, but she shrank back from the admittedly ghastly-looking article. Fox understood at once. She had bad experiences with her own oxygen mask in the labs.

To show her that it was alright, he placed it over his own face and breathed deeply, until his lungs felt rejuvenated again.

"See? Now you try."

He offered the mask to the girl, who quickly grasped how to use it. She placed it over her face and breathed in gratefully, while Fox shielded his own nose with his arm.

Once she handed it back, Fox showed her how to use her overly-long lab coat sleeve to cover her nose and mouth while waiting for her turn.

Together they descended into the valley below. They had already traversed several floors inside the lab, so they weren't too far from the bottom. They jumped the rest of the way and landed in the dust-caked riverbed, which had dried up millennia ago.

The sound of engines gave Fox pause, and his ears stood on end.

"Hide!"

The two vulpines pressed themselves as flat as possible against the rocky cliff face, staring up at the sky.

A pair of Cornerian drone ships buzzed through the valley, their rotary blades whipping up the dust like a whirlwind. Searchlights scanned the riverbed, searching for the escaped foxes.

How did he let this happen? How did he suddenly find himself on the wrong side of the law? If this were any other situation, Fox would be right up there with the guards chasing down the criminal, but now…

"We need to hide somewhere," Fox thought aloud. "Wait till the searches cool down, or at least until there's an opening in the dragnet. Then we need to find somewhere level for my Arwing to land. _If_ they don't have it impounded…"

Once the drones passed they set off, but stayed close to the cliffside. The Venomian valleys offered many outcroppings and overhangs for them to take refuge beneath when subsequent search parties passed.

The going was rough, as they had to pass their shared filtration mask back and forth while navigating the unpredictable rock floor. Many a time they lost their balance, but often caught each other before falling too far. Like clockwork, Cornerian scout ships passed by overhead, forcing them to hide for a few minutes before the coast was clear again.

Eventually they came upon a large temple, built by some unknown predecessor race thousands of years ago. It was badly weathered by years of decay, but more recently scarred in the final battle for Venom. As Fox helped the vixen climb onto the stone slab floor, he remembered flying through the expansive halls, just on the heels of one of Andross's oversized mechas. It was made to look like one of the ancient statues lining the temple walls, but once Fox blasted the outer shell away he revealed its mechanical core. The temple had gone by in a flash; Fox didn't have time to admire it like he did now. From the ground at the base of the towering columns, it seemed so much bigger.

He considered summoning his Arwing; the stone floor would make the perfect runway, but the temple hall was long and only had two exits large enough for a ship to fit through. If the Cornerians realized what was going on, they could easily bottle him up in there, and that would be the end of him. He decided against it.

Once again Fox was overwhelmed with how empty it was. The temple was more of a tomb now that Golemech was destroyed, and Andross's defenses routed.

For a few moments, Fox completely forgot he was travelling with the Cerinian. He felt completely alone, the isolated nature of the planet getting to his head. Venom's powerful gusts of wind swept through the halls, chilling his fur. As the breeze passed over holes and side-passages in the walls it created a hair-raising howl that set Fox on edge. He felt like the only one on the planet. Like an exile himself. Perhaps he would be, if he was found kidnapping a research specimen. The planet's inhabitants had died off thousands or even millions of years ago, only leaving behind these skeletal, crumbling relics.

Fox felt despair overpowering him.

Then a paw clasped his own, and Fox looked into the bright, turquoise eyes of the vixen at his side. Even just bathing in them for a few moments was enough to dispel his hopelessness and give him courage. He wasn't lost anymore. He wasn't aimlessly drifting through life. He had a purpose, and a mission. _She_ was relying on him. His parents were relying on him. He couldn't let them down.

He wasn't alone.

X

Fox lost track of how long they walked through the temple hall. It sure didn't take that long _flying_ through it. But after an hour or so they emerged on the opposite side. Before them lay the center of Andross's complex; the dome-shaped entrance to his personal lair, the rows and columns of towers bearing his hideous face, and the ICC's courthouse constructed in its ashes. But most importantly of all, flat, relatively level fields for his Arwing to land in and pick them up.

Of course the fields were dotted by hills and towers and…burning rubble that still lay aflame _three months_ after the initial attack, but they'd work around it.

Fox and the Cerinian dropped off the temple ledge and onto the barren wasteland steppe, where they resumed their march. As before the ground was full of sharp rocks and uneven footing, making it extremely toiling to cross. They had already traveled for hours that day, both in the labs and on the surface, and neither one had any food. Their stomachs growled in protest, demanding sustenance.

Only now did the girl begin to tire. She seemed light-headed and dizzy, as if at any second she might faint. She asked for the filtration mask more often, and had to use it longer while gasping desperately for breath. Fox found her leaning more and more on him for support, and he realized they'd have to stop for a bit before making it to a level field.

He didn't let them stop until they found a warm exhaust port that billowed smoke from some unseen compound underground. The heat would keep them warm in the merciless Venomian cold while also masking their heat signatures if any drones passed by.

"Alright," Fox finally gave in, "We'll stop here for an hour or so; at least until we recover some energy."

Both vulpines gratefully dropped to the ground and arranged their aching bodies on the unforgiving stones. When the girl moaned and placed a hand on her stomach, Fox felt a pang of guilt and searched through his pack for food. He came up with a single nature bar made from caramelized oats and puffed rice, drizzled with syrup and chocolate. He briefly considered splitting it in half, but then realized it would only supply him with a single mouthful of nutrients, so it wasn't worth it. Instead he unwrapped it and handed the bar over to the Cerinian.

"Here, eat this," he instructed.

The girl took the nature bar, smelling it before taking a tentative lick. Her eyes lit up, and she proceeded to devour the tasty treat, licking her fingers afterwards. She looked at Fox.

"I'm on a diet," he said dismissively. "Anyway, you should get some sleep." When she cocked her head, he explained, "You know; sleep. Rest." And he lay his head on the ground, closed his eyes, and pretended to snore.

The Cerinian merely giggled at his antics. "Siekim nīe surīp!"

Fox's nose twitched, and he rose from his 'sleep.' "What's so funny?"

 _"Sleep,"_ the mischievous vixen threw back at him. She imitated his own masculine voice by dropping down an octave and puffing out her chest.

"Yeah, you should be an expert at it, given how long you've spent in that cryo-chamber," Fox returned dryly. Instantly he regretted the jab and his ears flattened, even if she couldn't understand him. "Sorry, that was in poor taste."

He shrugged off his jacket and folded it several times. He placed it on the ground a few feet away from the girl and patted it.

"Here, this'll help. Lay your head here."

Catching on, the Cerinian lay down on the uncomfortable rocks, gratefully placing her head on Fox's makeshift pillow. She smiled up at him, sweetly, before closing her eyes and resting.

Fox couldn't help but watch over her as she slept. Even in the closest place to hell in the Lylat, she was able to find peace. The sight of her resting put Fox at ease.

After fixing the filtration mask to her muzzle, Fox settled into the rocks and dirt himself, resting his cheek against the hard stone. He lay facing the girl, watching over her.

His last thoughts before falling asleep were how hollow Venom was now that Andross was dead, as well as his father. It was so empty, so void of life. Civilizations and people just like him roamed the planet thousands of years ago, and now nothing remained. How long would it be before Lylat forgot that, on this very space, the deadliest war in the System's history was launched, a hero avenged his father, and two insignificant foxes slept side by side for a few hours?

He shook the thought from his head. Venom wasn't empty. _She_ was there, sleeping beside him, and with her, new life.

X

Bill twisted the dual knobs, balancing the temperature just right so that the water wasn't scalding hot, but pleasantly warm. He lifted the showerhead off the wall and began hosing down the rogue Cerinian. Like he had found her, she now sat at the bottom of the shower, knees pulled in close to her chest and head hung low. Her dejected countenance had not changed, and Bill couldn't help but feel pity for her.

While he waited for the scientists from Space Dynamics to arrive, the least he could do was cleanse her of all the blood. The tangy iron scent nearly overpowered Bill's canine nose in the cramped stall.

His men waited close by outside the showers, killing time. The area was still on lockdown, meaning the main lights were off. The vixen had destroyed all the pulsing warning lights, too. Bill had setup a flashlight pointed at the stall, the beam of which illuminated the Cerinian's bare back in pale fluorescent light.

The blood was caked on her fur. Bill rolled his sleeves up and dual-wielded the showerhead and a medical rag he found. He was amazed by how much liquid crimson washed off her back and stained the bottom of the stall. The sight would've been stomach-churning for anyone else.

The blue-furred vixen didn't react in any way. She only shifted whenever Bill rubbed too hard and upset her balance. She just stared at all the blood as it left streaks on its way toward the drain.

She was lucky to be alive. #19, they called her. They had every right to kill her, every reason to. She had slaughtered so many researchers and soldiers during the short time she was free. They didn't have any way of knowing that she _wouldn't_ snap back to her old murderous self and continue her rampage. But Bill was willing to take the risk.

 _He_ wanted her to live.

After all, Bill was the first one to find the Cerinian and her sisters in the lab. He knew of the great but mysterious power they possessed. Not that he knew _what_ it was exactly; just that it was something beyond their wildest dreams.

If the Enemy's weapons could be captured and used for good – purified, washed of their misuses – then they had every responsibility to do so. She was a powerful tool, neither good, nor evil in her own right. Her actions were not the fault of her own, but of her former possessor. Bill was confident he could cleanse her of the Enemy's influence. He had to make sure she found use in good hands, and not evil ones.

The captain set aside the showerhead and lathered a dollop of shampoo into his paws. He set to work running his fingers through her long violet hair, which turned bluer in hue the longer he washed it. His paws came away stained with blood.

Inevitably there would be missteps and mistakes made along the way. A few innocent lives would die due to the lingering effects of the Enemy's poison, but one had to be prepared to soil their own hands to fight for freedom and prosperity.

Bill raised the showerhead above the Cerinian, letting the warm water cascade down and soak the suds from her hair. By now her flowing azure locks and all of her back were blood-free. The canid gently guided the woman around to face him so he could get at her front. Her eyes kept flicking up to meet Bill's own, but her shame kept focusing them downwards again.

She knows what she's done, Bill thought to himself. She's…sorry.

He reached out and lay a finger beneath her chin. Tenderly he angled her head upwards and managed to give her a weak smile.

She has to know everything's alright. That she's forgiven.

The gesture worked. The fear and shame swallowing the vixen's face gradually vanished, replaced by admiration and gratefulness for Bill. When he lifted the washcloth again, she uncurled from her tight ball and opened herself to him. She sat cross-legged with her arms at her sides, freely exposing her filth in anticipation of Bill's cleansing. Gingerly this time, he took the washcloth and rubbed away at her blood-matted undercoat.

By the time he made it to her arm, he had to address the bandana wrapped around it. He cautiously went to untie it, but the Cerinian shrunk away and guarded it with her other hand.

"Is it really that special to you?"

When he first saw it Bill had jumped to conclusions. He assumed the Cerinian must have killed his best friend and made off with his bandana as a sick trophy, but then thought better of it. Someone else had to have tied the knot around her arm; someone who cared. But it didn't change the fact that Fox was missing or that he wasn't answering radio calls.

Flashlight beams fell on the pair, and vixen and canine alike turned their heads towards the door.

"Captain, we've found them. #28 is travelling with an unidentified man."

Bill nodded to the soldier. "Thanks for notifying me." He switched the water off and rose to his feet. "Watch over the Cerinian while I-"

But a soaking-wet paw reached out and grabbed the front of his uniform coat, holding him back.

Bill paused mid-sentence and stared down at the Cerinian woman sitting in the shower. She looked up at him with worry in her eyes.

The canid sighed. "Don't worry. I can't let anything happen to you. Too much is riding on your shoulders." He firmly removed her paw, but held it in his own for a moment while rubbing her knuckles. "I'll be back."

Turning to the private that interrupted them, he unceremoniously shoved a towel into his arms. "Here, dry her off."

The soldier fumbled with the towel and blushed. "B-b-but sir!"

Before stepping out of the shower room, Bill saluted the private, forcing him to shut up and salute back.

The remaining soldier looked down at the Cerinian, whose focus turned to him.

"P-please don't eat me!"

X

Fox rudely awoke, choking for air.

He was anointed with sweat and felt unbearably sick to the stomach. To make matters worse he felt like he hadn't slept at all. In fact, he felt like he'd _lost_ sleep, if that were possible.

His vision began to blur while his lungs sucked in poisonous air like a dying fish. His hands grasped futilely at his throat, but he could do nothing to save himself. He'd breathed in too much of the noxious fumes while sleeping.

Suddenly an azure figure appeared above him, between himself and the muddy clouds. He felt a rubber mask forced onto his face, followed by an influx of clean air. Fox's quick, shallow gasps returned to deep, relaxed breaths. The clean oxygen in his lungs quickly lifted his inner spirits.

Now that he could see better, Fox recognized the Cerinian's worried face looking down at him. He bolted upright and stared wide-eyed at her.

"You saved me," he said after dropping the filtration mask. "For what…the third time today? I'm never going to be able to repay you."

Fox took a second to recover his bearings. He scanned the horizon around them, but only confirmed that the drone ships were still on the prowl.

The girl began to cough, and he handed over the mask again. "We can't survive out here much longer; not at the rate we're going. It's now or never."

Tapping through the UI on his wrist unit, Fox summoned his Arwing from the laboratory hangar. He checked the view through its nose cam to make sure it wasn't obstructed.

"Alright, it's on its way," Fox said. He stood and gave his companion a hand up. "Come on, let's look for a clear landing field."

The two vulpines resumed their trek across the Venomian wasteland. Though they were nearing the end of their energy, they proceeded forward with renewed vigor at the prospect of escape.

Suddenly, a blinding white light entrapped them, accompanied by the pounding rumble of rotary wings. Fox shielded his eyes with his arm, and the girl's lab coat whipped furiously in the powerful downdraft. When Fox's eyes adjusted to the light, his worst fears were confirmed.

A Cornerian drone had found them.

"WARNING, YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF SECURITY PROTOCOL. YOU ARE IN POSSESSION OF SPACE DYNAMICS PROPERTY AND WILL BE PROSECUTED IF YOU DO NOT SURRENDER."

Fox drew his blaster and effortlessly downed the drone with a well-placed shot to one of its propellers.

"Shit! They'll be swarming all over us soon. Come on, let's run for it!"

The young foxes scampered over the rocks as fast as they could, but repeatedly ran into drone after drone. Fox did his best to take each out in turn, but they just seemed to keep coming.

It was too late when Fox realized where they were intentionally herding them.

The vulpines emerged over the next embankment to find themselves staring out over the Venomian sea. Acid brown waves sluggishly climbed onto a sandy shore, then died between the grains. Each new wave hissed and released a cloud of vapor into the air, which smelled even worse than Venom's normal atmosphere, if that were possible.

"There they are, I see them!" a distant voice was carried to Fox on the wind. He looked over his shoulder to see three Cornerian soldiers trailing them over the cliffs.

"This is bad," he mumbled. Fox took the girl's hand and jumped with her onto the beach. Now that they were on even ground they broke into a full sprint.

But the Cornerians matched their pace; gained on them, even. Fox slid to a stop when he noticed another pair of soldiers coming at them from the north, cutting off their exit.

In a pincher movement, the Cornerians cut the two vulpines off from the mainland. They chased them onto a small peninsula of sand, trapping them between themselves and Venom's acidic sea. When Fox found himself a mere yard away from the receding waves, he spun around, facing their foes. The five Cornerians slowed their pace, knowing that their prey was cornered. They carefully pulled the drawstring tight, approaching closer with readied blasters.

"Surrender!" one of the soldiers called out, raising his voice above the waves. "Hand over the Cerinian now!"

Fox stared over their heads at the horizon, but there was no sign of his Arwing. This was bad. If it took too much longer, the Cornerians would forcibly disarm them. Fox needed to buy time.

He heard a pair of splashes on his right, followed by a cry of pain. The girl had backed into the ocean, which began to eat away at her calves and feet. Fox dashed to her side and scooped her out of the water, but in the process he had to step into the acid bath himself. For the moment his boots protected him, but already the chemicals were burning through.

Fox adjusted the Cerinian in his arms so that he carried her princess-style. He backed further into the ocean, facing the Cornerians. One of the canines stepped forward; an all-too familiar bulldog.

"Fox…is that you?"

The vulpine's mouth dropped open when he recognized his former classmate.

"Fox, I'm so glad you're alive! You have no idea how much worry you've put me through," Bill exclaimed. Then focusing on the Cerinian in his arms, his tone turned darker. "But what's gotten into you? What in Lylat's name are you doing? Come back here _now!_ "

Fox felt ashamed. His ears lowered and he cast his gaze down, not meeting Bill's eyes. But the girl tightened her arms around his neck, reminding him that he had a job to do. Gathering his resolve, he snapped his head back up and set his teeth, glowering at Bill.

"If you want her, come and take her," he defied them all.

The Cornerians looked in confusion at each other, ultimately turning to Bill to make the decision. While they were debating Fox noticed a bright blue light expanding on the horizon. With his spirits soaring, he punched in some commands on his wrist unit and aimed a reticule at the water in front of them.

"I mean it, Fox! I know we're friends, but I have a duty to perform! Don't make us fire!"

"Good luck," Fox grinned.

The Arwing flew by just in time; it landed a plasma burst in the water between the two groups, sending up a foaming spray of acid. Fox's ship turned and glided across the water until it came to rest beside the vulpines. A cloud of mist formed over the water, allowing them to climb aboard without being seen or fired upon.

Fox waded through the acid until he reached his prized ship. He hefted the girl up onto its wing before crawling aboard himself. Next he remotely popped the canopy before hopping inside.

He gestured for the Cerinian to join him, but she hesitated on the edge of the cockpit. The protective cloud was beginning to thin, so Fox ignored protocol and dragged her in by the arm. The girl yelped and fell into his lap just as Fox closed the canopy.

Retaking control of the ship, Fox gunned the thrusters and sent them skating over the water. The Arwing bounced over the waves before finally taking off, climbing at a steep angle towards the outer atmosphere. Bill and the other soldiers became little more than ants on the shore below.

"Alright!" Fox bellowed, releasing a pent-up breath. The girl, on the other hand, tightly clung to him in fear; understandably she'd never been in a space fighter before, and was not enjoying her first trip. Fox merely laughed for the time being and set a course for Sector V. They had escaped...

For now.

4th dose: s. cr. m. nts


	8. Dream Theme

X

Mission No. 8

Sector V  
Bolse Station Fallout

Dream Theme

X

Fox piloted his Arwing out of the Venomian atmosphere and made a beeline for Sector V. The Cornerians didn't even know what hit them. They barely had time to scramble fighters before Fox disappeared into the nebula. The ionized space dust provided the perfect cover for Fox to hide his tracks. Any lead the Cornerians had on him quickly vanished as he dove dangerously deep into the stew of magnetic storms and radiation. You couldn't find anything in the sector unless you knew precisely what you were looking for, and Fox had disabled the tracking feature on his carrier ship. He'd programmed it beforehand to remain at a specific set of coordinates only he knew. Otherwise he would have never been able to find his way back.

The Cerinian sat sideways across his lap, staring open-mouthed and starry-eyed at the nebula. The violet glow danced across her blue fur and pale white labcoat.

Fox couldn't help but smile at her child-like wonder. Getting to fly in a spaceship was one thing, but very few pilots ever got to sail through such a beautiful display as this; especially not on their first time. He took pride in the fact that he was the reason Sector V existed at all, since he was the one who destroyed Bolse.

Fox folded his arms behind his head and reclined his chair back. "Do you like it? I made all of this. And let me tell ya, it wasn't easy. My team had to fight off swarms of enemies, disable a shield generator, and blow up the core; all while fighting Starwolf."

"Sores seinsu tsukuschön…"

Fox shrugged. "Aw, it was nothing."

Eventually a shadow loomed in the distance. As they approached it materialized into the proud hull of the Great Fox; a dreadnought-class battlecruiser. While the ship was ridiculously oversized for a crew of their small capacity, it proved indispensable in battle, single-handedly smashing through more than one line of Venomian defenses. He hated to admit it, but he felt good now that Starfox paid off their loan on the vessel, even if he didn't like Peppy's motivations.

The girl cried out and pointed to the vessel, looking back to make sure Fox was aware of its presence. She looked afraid, as if they were encountering a prehistoric sea monster in the depths of the ocean.

"Oh don't worry, that's just the Great Fox. She's big, but she's really a gentle giant. Hang on, we're going inside."

The tone of Fox's voice seemed to put the vixen at ease. She still looked up with wary eyes as they pulled in close to the front of the ship. Something about the forward-jutting bridge probably reminded her of a massive creature's head.

ROB identified his Arwing's signature and opened the blast doors, allowing Fox to cruise smoothly in. He landed his prized fighter craft in its launch catapult, then popped the canopy.

"Oof! You can get out now," Fox told her.

The Cerinian had some difficulty climbing off his lap and dismounting the ship. When she landed on the catwalk she stumbled onto all-fours, momentarily forgetting what gravity was after floating in Fox's Arwing.

Fox unbuckled and jumped out after her. He helped the girl up while holding in his laughter; he didn't want to be rude.

The vulpine took her straight to the med bay, where a ROB unit was waiting. ROB was much more than just a single robot; in fact he was several stationed around the ship. In actuality ROB was an AI program nestled in the Great Fox's mainframe. If one section of the ship was damaged in battle and a ROB shell was lost, the rest of him would still be safe to control the ship's functions. While handy, Fox still found himself asking, "Now how did you get here so fast?" upon finding him in another room.

This particular ROB shell was outfitted with medical tools. Falco had even dressed him up with a nurse's smock and crude lipstick. They lovingly called him "Nurse ROB", and were glad to be in his care whenever they returned bruised and bleeding.

 _"Welcome back Fox. I see you came back in one piece this time."_

"Yeah, mostly."

ROB's head whirred and swiveled towards the girl.

 _"Ah. I see you brought home another one."_

Fox hissed at ROB. "It's not like that! You jump to conclusions worse than Peppy. Anyway, cut the chatter. We're both pooped but we really need medical attention before we do anything else."

The Cerinian glanced curiously about the room, admiring the pristine white walls and sterile metal surfaces. She hopped onto one of the examination tables and began kicking her legs back and forth. But she fixed the robot and all of his pointy tools with a look of distrust.

Fox kicked off his boots, then stripped down to his underwear. He blushed and stole glances at the Cerinian to check if she was watching, which of course she was. He felt awkward being disrobed around her, especially since she was in a similar state. Not that he had anything to be ashamed of. In fact, he was quite proud of his physique. His limb muscles were well-toned, and his chest and abdomen were well defined from all the hard work he did during the Lylat Wars. Even though he had spent several months essentially vegetating since then, he still retained his body quite well. Though when he hopped up onto the operating table his stomach scrunched up a bit. He had Falco to blame for his infant beer belly. Now that the Cerinian was curiously dressing him down, he cursed himself for not staying in better shape.

 _"Above average heart rate,"_ Nurse ROB droned.

"Oh go to hell ROB. You're lucky she can't understand Cornerian or I'd unscrew your neck bolts again."

 _"Do not bite the robotic claw that heals"_ the medical robot warned.

Nurse ROB began the examination. Fox lay down on the table with his arms and legs pressed to his sides. A series of rings passed over him, scanning his body with glowing lights. Once finished the rings retracted and ROB approached.

 _"Foreign object buildup in lungs. Prolonged respiratory strain. Ligatures around the throat. Multiple bruises and lacerations. Blood loss. Slight malnourishment."_

Fox whistled. "What do you prescribe, ROB?"

 _"Bath and a ham sandwich. You reek."_

Fox rolled his eyes, but the tone of his voice struck a more serious chord. "You know you were a fifth of the cost of this ship ROB. Stop messing around and tell me what's wrong with me! I should be dead right now. I had a run in with some…er, rogue Venomians, and they filled me full of laser holes like a firing squad. All this blood didn't come from nowhere, ROB."

The medical bot pressed its mouthpieces together, which made it look like he was pursing his lips. He approached Fox and hosed his chest down with warm water before wiping the blood away.

Not a single hole or burn mark.

"That's impossible…"

Fox parted his chest and stomach fur, searching for any wounds in the skin beneath. Not even his fur was singed where the plasma rounds had hit him.

"That doesn't make any sense! Blood just doesn't _teleport_ out of your body like that."

ROB took a sample of the blood from Fox's chest, testing it.

 _"DNA match positive. It is indeed yours."_

"Did I _sweat_ all this blood out through my skin pores? That seems so-"

Nurse ROB placed a robotic claw over Fox's mouth. _"Please, any more will fry my logic circuits."_

Fox shook his head and wiped his brow, at a loss.

A bottle of pills spilling on the floor brought his attention back to the other side of the room. The Cerinian looked embarrassed after knocking the medicine bottle over.

This definitely has something to do with her, Fox thought to himself. Even if it had momentous implications for the way the universe and life itself worked, it was the only explanation. There was no way around it. In the instant Fox had died, she brought him back.

"Alright ROB, I'm fine. Look over her now, will ya?"

ROB's headpiece rattled before he rolled over to the girl's table. At the sight of all ROB's dangerous-looking medical instruments she flinched and scooted away.

"Wait!" Fox ordered.

ROB rolled to a stop, his claws clacking. _"What is the problem? She is in serious need of medical attention."_

"No, she's scared of you," Fox realized. "She used to be a test subject. As far as I know, her whole life has been nothing but a series of experiments. I'll have to coax her gently."

Fox scooted off the table and grabbed his pants. He hopped over to the Cerinian, comically placing one leg in each pantleg at a time. By the time he was zipping his trousers he had reached her.

"Ugh, now how do I do this…"

Fox threw an arm around ROB and gave him a friendly side-hug. "This is my trusty robot and best friend, ROB!" Fox elbowed him in what he thought were his ribs and hissed, "Now put those pointy bits away!"

ROB retracted his syringes and scalpels until only non-threatening instruments remained. _"Greetings. I am Fox's medical robot."_ He placed a claw where his heart would have been. _"I have sworn an oath to do no harm."_

"See?" Fox gave the robot's head a noogie. "He's only here to help. He's a friend!"

The Cerinian tilted her head down and stared at ROB distrustfully.

"Friend?" she finally repeated.

Fox sighed. "Exactly! Okay ROB, work your magic."

This time when the robot approached her she didn't shrink back. She continued to stare at him with narrowed eyes, but otherwise let him work without hindrance.

First ROB removed the lab coat from her shoulders, which prompted Fox to gulp and turn around out of respect. Next he had her lie down on the examination table and she quickly understood that she would be getting the same treatment as Fox. The male vulpine merely twiddled his thumbs and anxiously waited for ROB to finish. He listened until the scanning wheels stopped whirring.

"Well ROB? How is she?"

 _"Lacerations on side and leg. Acid burns on feet. Foreign object buildup in lungs. Prolonged respiratory strain. Minor bruises."_

"Is she burned badly?"

 _"There is no permanent damage. The fur will regrow and the skin will heal with proper treatment."_

Fox let out a sigh. "Well, that's good…Uh, is she clothed yet?"

 _"You may turn around again; the female is covered."_

Fox spun around to face ROB and the girl but panicked when he found she was still undressed. He twisted back around.

"ROB!"

 _"Is something wrong Fox? Your heart rate is increasing again."_

Fox shook his head angrily. "Quit horsing around and take care of her, will ya?"

He heard the noises of Nurse ROB applying medical gel to her wounds. After being treated by ROB himself for so many years, he was very familiar with the sounds and procedures.

Fox's ears twitched when he heard the operation stop, so he turned around. He was pleased to find the girl wearing the coat again, and noticed a shiny substance coating the red wounds on her torso that peeked through.

 _"She cannot bathe for 6 hours. See that she does not pick the gel off."_

"You got it ROB. Thanks for your help."

ROB waved as Fox took the girl out of the med bay. _"Always glad to assist, Fox. But try to come in with something more challenging next time."_

X

Fox lead the girl to the crew's living space. She plopped down on the couch, admiring how soft and cozy it was. The beaten-up cushions probably felt like heaven after sleeping on Venom's jagged surface.

Sleep beckoned Fox from the other side of dreamland, but he pressed on. He had unfinished business that couldn't wait.

The vulpine sat down at a monitor and powered it on. He'd brought a data pack from his Arwing; the one he beamed the scientific files to when his ship was docked in the hangar. He plugged the memory pack in and copied it over.

After it was transferred to the Great Fox's central computer, Fox began transmitting the data through a secure subspace link to Slippy. The frog was a whiz when it came to science and engineering, so if there was anyone he could both trust to keep a secret _and_ analyze scientific research, it was him.

He attached a message to the data stream, warning Slippy that what he found inside could be extremely dangerous. It wasn't to be shared with anyone but Fox when he finished parsing it. He also told Slippy that if he was worried about getting in trouble with the government, he completely respected his decision to keep his nose clean and reject the data if he so chose.

Fox hit 'send' and began beaming the information. While subspace was secure and reliable, it was slow as hell, so he'd need to keep the link open for a day at least. He was tempted to open the files and look at them himself, but there was just too much to go through, and he badly needed sleep.

Still, there was one thing he needed to do before allowing himself sweet respite. He stumbled to the adjoining kitchen and microwaved two instant dinners. When they were done cooking he brought the plastic containers back and sat on the carpeted floor in front of the girl.

"Here, these are instant noodles. They might destroy your digestive tract on the way down, but it's all I can cook at the moment. Um, sorry…"

The vixen's nose bobbed up and down as she sniffed. The smell seemed to please her.

"Mmmm…"

She scooped her paw into the steaming noodles, which were covered in flavor powder. She cried out and withdrew her paw, ringing it.

"No, you can't use your hand! Here-"

Fox opened his own package and showed her how to eat with a fork. He twisted the plastic utensil round and round until it tangled up a mouthful of noodles. Then he lifted it to his watering mouth, biting off the long strands that refused to let go.

"Ahhh…"

The Cerinian followed his example and dug her fork into the noodles, making sure to twist it thoroughly. When she was done she lifted the mouthful out of the package. She frowned upon seeing the noodles that stretched all the way from her fork back to the container.

"Lassuru ghen!" she demanded, waving the fork up and down until the noodles relinquished their hold. Fox only gave her a tired expression as flavored sauce splashed on his face. It was hard forcing himself to teach someone how to use a fork while also wanting to drop dead on the couch.

Finally when they had eaten their meals and drank their fill, Fox set aside their empty containers. He lowered the lights in the room before joining the girl on the adjacent couch. He lay across all three cushions, snuggling his head into a throw pillow.

"We can get acquainted in the morning," Fox mumbled. "We'll wash up then, but right now I need sleep. So goodnight."

The vixen mimicked his pose and whispered, "So-goodnight."

But Fox was already out like a light.

X

 _Though he had escaped their present danger, Fox's dreams would not let him rest._

 _He dreamed about being lost in the carcass of a giant monster._

 _The hollow, cavernous organs and intestines tangled together in a maze._

 _Fox assumed it was dead, but his paranoia caused him to mistake every slight breeze for a breath, and he blamed every misplaced step on the shifting bowels._

 _But as long as it wasn't breathing, he told himself, he would be safe._

 _That quieted his fears for the moment, but when he found the heart at the center of the monster, his hopes were dashed._

 _Though twisted and rotten, it persistently beat._

 _He had failed, a voice inside of him cried. He never defeated the monster. Only chased it into a slumber. Any day it would rear its ugly head and strike again._

 _Fox collapsed on the cavern's floor, holding his head and weeping._

 _He was never done. He could never sleep or rest._

 _He must always watch his back._

 _It was already too late._

 _Then a voice cut through the thick silence of the rotten tunnels. It was melodic and sweet, loving and kind. It sang a song he hadn't heard since childhood._

 _It was his mother, crooning his favorite lullaby._

 _Fox stood up, searching each passage entrance for its source. When he identified the correct tunnel, he raced down it. His mother's soft words lead him left and right, and left again. He chased after it, with each new footstep filling him with hope and courage. It was a beacon in the darkness, a thread through the labyrinth._

 _Fox rounded a corner. At the end of the long tunnel was a brilliant light, and a shadow covered in wispy clothes. For a second she stopped with her head turned back to Fox, as if beckoning, then continued on._

 _The vulpine took off in a sprint. If he could just reach her before she-_

The dream vanished.

Fox's eyes opened, and he was greeted by the dim lights of the Great Fox's living room.

He sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. How many hours had he slept? 5? 7? 12? An entire day? Regardless of how long he slept, it didn't matter. He wished he could've slept a few seconds more and caught up with his mother. He thought killing the ape would put his memories of her to rest, but apparently not. Well, at least he had remembered the lullaby she sang to him every night when he was but a kit. Even if it was only a phantom of her singing trapped inside his imagination.

A voice drifted to his tufted ears. He rubbed them with a fist to clear it, but the sound wouldn't go away. He wasn't dreaming it up.

Someone aboard the ship was singing his mother's song.

And it wasn't ROB.

Fox slid off the couch and stood, swiveling his ears to identify its source. It sounded like it came from outside the room, so Fox left for the hall.

After following it through the Great Fox's corridors, eventually he came upon a hall that ran adjacent to the outer walls. A long spacious window ran down its length, letting the purple light of the outside nebula flood in.

At the end of the hallway was the Cerinian, sitting atop a stack of supply crates that had never been put away. She hugged herself and swayed to and fro, singing the lullaby while staring out the window.

"Fall into my arms where you can sleep; where ne'er a more joyous tear you'll weep…"

Her fragile voice was lovely; thin and delicate like ornamental glass, but just as sparkling and bright. She sang the words with a slight Venomian accent, which somehow added to the charm of the song. Fox felt himself drawn towards her, but he made sure to not interrupt as he approached.

"But whether I am far or near, may your dreams always be…"

The girl looked up at him when she realized he was there.

"…Crystal clear," he finished for her, finally remembering the lyrics after all those years.

The vixen cocked her head, looking up at him with the same curiosity that Fox reflected in his own eyes.

"How did you learn that song?" he asked.

"Tashich nīe verkaru," she pouted while lowering her head.

"My mother used to sing that to me," Fox said as he sat on a stack of crates opposite her. The light from the nebula illuminated one side of their faces, leaving the other side dark. "Have you…have you met her?"

The girl shook her head again, and Fox wiped his brow.

"Ugh, guess you still can't understand me. But maybe it's time we fixed that! Let's start with our names."

Growing excited, Fox sat up and placed a finger on his chest. "My name is Fox," he repeated his name several times while tapping himself.

"Foxsu?" the girl asked timidly.

"Yes! Well, almost there. Just 'Fox'."

"Foxsh? Foxss? Fox?"

Fox beamed at her. "See, there you go!"

The vixen smiled back and clapped her paws. Pointing to him she repeated, "Foxsu!"

The vulpine sighed. "Well, I guess that's good enough. Now I just need to figure out your name. Uh…"

He pointed to her and asked, "Name?"

The girl's happy expression fell. "Tashich…name?"

One of her legs protruded from the folds of her lab coat. It bore white tattoo markings on her thigh. There were several barcodes and serial numbers inked in white, as well as some words written in Venomian. The largest of the numbers simply read '#28.'

"Number 28, huh?" Fox asked.

She nodded, not meeting his eyes.

"Geez, well that won't do. I'll have to get creative…"

Fox scratched his chin for a moment, thinking. He studied the girl with a furrowed brow, who in turn cocked her head at him. Fox ran through multiple names, but none of them seemed to stick in his imagination. How does one go about naming a mystical alien creature? What did he know about her life at all?

…Perhaps more than he realized.

"Crystal," he proudly stated, folding his arms. "How about I call you Crystal?"

"Kerystul," she repeated, using Venomian phonetics. She tried again several times until she reached the word 'Krystal,' the only difference being the harder Venomian K. Her eyes lit up when she made the connection to the song. "Ah, Krystal!"

Fox reached out his hand, and she grasped it with her own. "Nice to meet you, Krystal."

"Foxsu!" she exclaimed, and the vulpine laughed.

"Well, I'm glad we're making some progress. Let's see if I can teach you some Cornerian, or maybe I can learn some basic Venomian. It wouldn't be worthwhile, though; Venomian's a dead language, and Cornerian is spreading across most of the civilized Lylat anyway."

Fox hopped up onto her stack of crates and scooted in close. He activated his wrist unit and pulled up a Cornerian-Venomian dictionary. He quickly scanned through some of the most common words, some of which seemed more familiar than others.

 _Be/Is – seinsu  
_ _Beautiful – tsukuschön  
Die __– shinben_ _  
_ _Go – ghen  
Grow __– wasnobiru  
_ _Hello_ _– konallo_ _  
_ _I – tashich  
_ _It – sores  
_ _Let – lassuru  
_ _No – nīe  
_ _Sleep – surīp  
_ _Sorry - gomenshuld  
_ _Stay – verzai  
_ _Stop – yamalt  
_ _To – nizu  
_ _Understand – verkaru  
_ _Want – holleshī  
What __– nas_ _  
_ _With – mito  
Yes __– jaii_ _  
_ _You – siekim_

The vixen – well, Krystal now – frowned at the jumble of incomprehensible symbols. Fox scratched the back of his head.

"Oh boy, no one taught you how to read, did they? That sucks. This is going to be more work than I thought. I guess we could setup a voice translator…"

Noting his worried tone, Krystal lay her forehead against his own to comfort him.

Fox was taken aback, but he didn't withdraw. The sensation was…nice.

Then, he felt something. It was the same way one grasps an exterior object and feels the harsh boundaries of its edges, as opposed to the way one feels their own breathing or heart beating. In this same way, Fox's _mind_ felt the edges of another. It bumped up with his own, and the two rested together. It left no trace in any of his other senses, whether it be sight, smell, or touch. He could only _feel_ certain voices whispering beneath the liquid surface of the other mind. He could 'see' different colors like one might imagine a ghost or apparition or an elephant in the room.

Then, their two minds overlapped.

Fox gasped. He was mentally transported to a whole new location. A rush of colors flooded his mind's eye, as well as stimulations of all the other senses. He felt something sticky on his side and leg. The sensation of a thick piece of cloth wrapping around his frame, as well as the crisp air brushing against his bare fur.

When he opened his eyes he saw double; Krystal, sitting across from him…

…and himself, staring open-mouthed.

"What? How are you-?"

Whispers echoed in his mind from a voice which wasn't his own. At first they were quiet and distant, but then they drew nearer and grew louder until they were clear.

" _Fox?"_

The vulpine started. He hadn't seen her open her mouth.

"How did you do that? What's going on?"

" _We're touching,"_ Krystal's voice said. _"Not with our fingers, but with our selves. With each other."_

"You…you can speak Cornerian!"

" _It is difficult. I can hear words in your mind, as well as the images they belong to. This 'Cornerian,' it is strange…"_

"But how are you in my head?"

"Shhh…" Krystal placed a finger over his lips. _"You are speaking with your mouth. Speak with your mind."_

Fox's ears flattened. Part of him said this was silly, and that this was all a dream. It was something magicians and psychics performed on holovision to fool gullible crowds. And yet here he was, hearing someone talk with him telepathically.

Hesitantly he thought, _"Hello?"_

Krystal smiled. _"Hello, Fox. You understood quickly."_

" _This is impossible…how long have you been able to do this? To share minds?"_

" _Longer than I knew how to speak, but not longer than I knew how to cry. Whenever I shared minds the Watchers seemed to be pleased. I did it for their approval."_

" _Can you do this with anyone?"_

" _Anyone. You are not the first, but it doesn't work this well for everyone…"_

Fox swallowed. This was more than he could ever have hoped for! Learning how to speak with her would never be a problem. Perhaps he wouldn't have to wait to ask…

" _That song you were humming…where did you first hear it? It's special to me."_

Krystal's voice said nothing. Instead she closed her eyes, and Fox found himself flooded by an array of images. All of the feeds of memories were stained with age and fuzzy from years of decay. Only a few scattered fragments surfaced, but they were clear enough to focus on what mattered.

 _Through Krystal's eyes, Fox saw his mother dressed in a white lab coat. She stared through homely spectacles down at Krystal with tender eyes. For the moment Fox completely forgot that she was singing to Krystal and not himself when he was only a small child. The memory faded in and out of the darkness, and it was clear that the bits and pieces of the lullaby he heard were collaged together by Krystal in real time. For Fox's benefit, she sewed together all the memories she could into a single experience._

It was a bizarre sensation for Fox. It was like discovering new songs by his favorite childhood artist; the ones he had never heard before. Old, genuine, and familiar, but also alien. It was the same person, but from a different angle. Part of him hungrily ate up the new memories, while the rest of him had a hard time stomaching it.

" _More,"_ he asked.

Krystal was eager to please him. She dug into her brain for other memories. She unearthed a new one from the fuzzy sea of flashing images, but when Fox reached out to take it she held it back.

" _What's the matter?"_ he asked.

Krystal clutched the memory tightly to her chest. _"It's not one of my favorites. It's not very happy, though Vixy…mother…kept it from being worse."_

The mention of Vixy's name excited Fox. _"Please! I want to see it."_

Reluctantly, Krystal gave up the memory and played it for both of them.

 _His mother was there, holding Krystal's hand and once again singing the lullaby._

 _The 'Watchers' as Krystal called them circled around her. Fox felt the sensation of lying flat on his back, arms restrained, and something painful and unpleasant sticking into his head. It was hard for him to make out the Watchers, who had exaggerated eyes that jutted like insect lenses from their skulls, long flowing white robes, and needle-like claws for hands._

 _It took him a minute, but then he realized who they really were._

 _Krystal held nothing back. As Fox begged for more, she continued to freely share memories, no matter how painful they were to herself. She found comfort in the fact that the bad things that happened in her life could somehow bring relief to someone else, though Fox's attention was purely focused on the woman in her memories and not on her._

 _Fox gorged himself on the memories like a drug. Slowly a picture began to form from all the scattered pieces. Krystal was a lost little girl who underwent experiment after experiment at the hands of cold scientists. Vixy was the only one who ever showed her parental love, doing her best to ease her suffering and see her through the relentless tests. She was the closest thing Krystal had to a mother._

 _Fox's memories and feelings aligned themselves with Krystal's own, unbidden. He remembered all the times she nurtured him through the pain, comforting him when his father was away for long periods of time. It was like rediscovering his own lost childhood and mother after so many years._

 _Then_ he _resurfaced among all the memories, and Fox recoiled back._

" _What's wrong?"_ Krystal asked. _"I know they are not a pleasant sight…"_

Fox shook his head. _"It's-it's nothing. He's dead now, so it doesn't matter."_

" _Oh, that's good. But…I'm curious. Why do you love this woman so?"_

Fox breathed in deeply, trying to summon his strength back. _"Well-"_

But before he could finish, Krystal dove into _his_ memories. Their connection went both ways, which surprised Fox. She had bared everything to him, so now he was obliged to do the same.

At first he left his life entirely open to Krystal. The girl curiously skimmed through his old memories, some of which even Fox had forgotten. She saw picnics and birthdays and dinners with his mother, all of which were happy times for Fox. So why wasn't he happy to see them, too?

" _Oh,"_ Krystal said in a disappointed voice. _"I see she disappeared for you, too. One day she just stopped coming, and I never saw her again. Do you know why?"_

" _No, please don't ask-"_

But Krystal plunged in, expecting the same openness as she gave Fox. One by one she glanced at his memories, working forwards from when he was a child and backwards from when he was a young man. Finally she closed in on the one memory Fox was dreading.

 _He was only 11 at the time._

 _His father came into the house, babbling incoherently through the tears._

 _He was alone._

 _He grasped Fox's shoulders and tried to tell him something, but couldn't form words._

 _Fox remembered his father's moist, red eyes as they trembled at him._

 _He clutched him to his chest and sobbed over his shoulder._

 _Finally he was able to whisper into Fox's ear-_

"NO!"

Fox shot up from the stack of crates, stumbling away from Krystal. He held his head in his hands and gasped for breath, trying not to cry.

Their connection was broken, and Fox was alone with himself again. No one could see him. No one could feel what he felt. No one would learn his secrets, the things that made him Fox McCloud and the things that made him weak.

Whatever connection they had was broken.

"Gomenshuld! Tashich nīe holleshī-"

"No, it-it's fine, Krystal. There are some things I just don't want you to see. I think…I think you should avoid looking into my mind. It hurts."

Krystal folded her paws and looked down dejectedly.

Fox realized it was probably a good thing that not everyone could read minds. Ignorance was bliss, and solitude bred strength. As the leader of Starfox he knew this first hand. He didn't mind when Slippy or Falco or even Fara came to him with their emotional problems. He listened to them carefully and did his best to share the burden. But as the leader his troubles were his and his alone. Sharing them was weakness.

Still, he regretted his outburst. What should have been an exciting first foray into telepathy had taken a drastic turn for the worst. All on his own, he had managed to screw it up and leave Krystal like this.

Fox scratched the back of his head but couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. "Hey, I'm sorry about that. I got a little worked up. Do you want me to make breakfast? You're probably starved. After that we can wash up. What do you say?"

Krystal looked up at him silently.

"Oh, you can't understand me anymore. Let's see…"

Rather than using his wrist unit to translate his words, Fox mimed shoveling food into his mouth and patting his belly.

"Food!"

Krystal took one last glance out the window before sliding off the crates and heading back with him to the kitchen.

Fox followed behind, but at a safe distance. Now he was somehow even more scared of Krystal than when he had first seen her in the cryochamber. She wasn't the violent monster he had thought her to be. She was dangerously normal, like any other person, but with the advantage of being able to read his mind like an open book. To him she was the most dangerous girl in Lylat, and right now he was trapped on a ship with her.

No matter what, he couldn't let her dig deeper and see what lay inside him.

And yet because of her, he couldn't get that wonderful song out of his head.

5th dose: l. ll. by


	9. Convergence

X

Mission No. 9

Corneria  
Center for Industry and Progress

Convergence

X

Fara sat in the front row of cushioned seats, with the stage only a few feet away from her. Normally she would have worn an expensive gown for a social function, but given the nature of this event she opted for a more appropriate business suit. Before her on the stage sat a long table covered by a white cloth. One half of the table was populated by Phoenix Corporation executives; the other half, representatives from Space Dynamics. Both of the companies' flags stood behind the table, with her family's signature phoenix emblem on one, and Space Dynamic's globe-circling rocket on the other. The blue and red flags alternated across the stage, symbolizing their coming unity.

On Phoenix Corp's side of the table, Fara recognized several of her father's overseers. Her father's personal assistant, Ewen Drexel, sat in the audience beside her while patiently waiting for the ceremony to begin. His hands were folded, and Fara mimicked his pose.

On Space Dynamic's side, the only figure she recognized was Yaru de Pon, a rather small-statured tanooki. His size was no indicator of his position, as de Pon was the president of Space Dynamics.

Craning her neck, she was barely able to make out a lone chair sitting farther behind the table and the business magnates, almost shrouded in the curtains. Sitting upon it was Morgan P. Fredersen, a rather intimidating bull with a stare that could turn anyone to stone. She placed him as the head of Fredersen Investments, who they probably had to thank for this ceremony in the first place.

However, the seat next to de Pon on Phoenix Corp's side was empty.

"Well, whose funeral is it?"

Fara was lifted from her thoughts by her father's voice. She looked up, seeing a lithe fennec fox dressed in a black business suit and purple tie. His large ears swiveled downward so he could hear her over the chattering crowd.

"Oh, hi father."

Edison Phoenix took the empty seat next to her, adjusting his spectacles. "What's wrong? I rarely see you in such a dour mood."

Fara sighed. "Nothing I can't get over in due time."

He smiled knowingly. "Ah, it's that McCloud boy, isn't it?"

Fara merely nodded.

"Cheer up Princess. This is a momentous occasion for us and for the Lylat System; one several years in the making."

"I'm sorry father, I know I should be happy today, but…I can't get Fox off my mind. I'm afraid he might do something rash now that I've left him."

Edison shrugged. "Well, I won't argue that, but in the end it was the right choice. After all, Fox was becoming a smudge on our corporate brand. Honestly the boy wouldn't have made a business-savvy husband, and you'd be too intelligent for him. Fox would have been a good catch from a marketing standpoint, but he just didn't have the drive to stay in the mercenary business."

Fara glared at her father. "Do you ever look at things from a non-industry standpoint? You're so cold at times, father."

Edison reached up and scratched at her ears tenderly, which embarrassed Fara. She wondered how many eyes and cameras behind her were focused on the act right now.

"Aw, I'm sorry Fara. I'm just in a business mindset today. I know how much you loved and admired Fox, but the boy needs some space to find himself. I'm confident he'll pull himself together before long, but he's not your responsibility. He needs to find his way alone, and you can't let him keep you down during this phase. Fox is a leader, and he'll carry this burden by himself because that's his way. It's best that you forget about him for the time being. Throw yourself into your work! Distract yourself in the company. This is the perfect time for it, after all."

Edison glanced around, making sure no one could hear them. He leaned in close to Fara and whispered in her ear. "I want to prepare you to take over the company one day. I'd love to have my legacy stay in the family, and I think with some work you could make a fine president."

Fara sighed and spoke forlornly. "I wish I could just be a test pilot again, and not have all of these other worries."

Eddie snorted. "Well, if it makes you feel better, _I_ wish I could go back to designing kitchen appliances. But you must understand, as the leaders of Lylat's biggest industrial firms, we have a responsibility to the rest of the System. The Phoenix family found itself in a position of grand power, and after today that power will increase tenfold. Lylat is in dire times, Fara. But we can guide them back into the light."

"Practicing your speech again?" Fara suggested coyly.

Edison scratched his chin. "Alright, you caught me. Does it at least sound good?"

Fara shook her head. "You're hopeless, father. Well, thanks for trying to comfort me. But everyone's waiting; you better get up there. Good luck!"

"Thanks, Princess." Edison patted her shoulder and rose from his chair. He climbed the steps onto the stage and stood behind the podium, placing his tablet face-up where he had prepared some speech notes.

The crowd hushed upon seeing him take the stage. After adjusting his spectacles, Edison Phoenix began.

"Together, from the ashes…"

The phrase had been burned in Fara's consciousness over the past few days. The motto of the newly combined Phoenix Corporation and Space Dynamics.

"If there is one good thing the recent war bred, it is unity. A time when former enemies can come together, join hand in hand, and work towards a common good. Today you are witnessing the culmination of this phenomenon; the marriage of Phoenix Corp to Arspace Dynamics."

From his seat at the table, Yaru de Pon rolled his eyes. He shook his head and smiled.

"Pardon me, _Space_ Dynamics," Edison corrected himself, though the slip of the tongue was intentional. Even at an event as important as this, he couldn't restrain himself from making jabs at his former enemies.

Fara wanted to listen to the rest of her father's speech, but her mind kept wandering back to Fox. She herself had spoken some of Edison's words verbatim to her former mate several nights ago, and now they left an even worse aftertaste in her mouth. While Edison Phoenix commanded the audience's full attention, hers drifted elsewhere. She thought back to the time when they first met; the look of determination in Fox's eyes when he rescued her from the pirates. She had so much admiration for him. She was attracted to that fire and ambition in his heart, but it pained her even more to see it snuffed out. She had truly loved Fox during that time; the present focus of her mind was proof enough that a good portion of her still did. She remembered his laughing face when they ate out at restaurants, his steadfast countenance whenever he focused on serious matters, and his child-like wonder and panic whenever she slowly pulled in for a kiss.

Her father completed his speech and handed the podium over to de Pon. His voice was quieter, but it was clear he did everything he could to push it to the limit. When both had finished, the audience politely applauded, bringing Fara back to the present.

Phoenix and de Pon took their seats and signed their names to the bottom of the merger contract. When they were finished they stood and held the paper up for the audience and the cameras to see, positively beaming at them. The crowd cheered once again, and the two magnates turned to shake hands. Fredersen emerged from his corner to congratulate them, placing his strong hands on either of their shoulders.

General Dynamics was born.

Suddenly Fara heard an electric whirring sound. She turned to see a wheelchair-ridden terrier roll up to her seat.

Fara shot to her feet. "P-President Finley!" She bowed slightly.

Finley waved his hand. "Thank you, Ms. Phoenix, but please don't stand on my account."

Following his wishes, she sat back down. She assumed he preferred it that way, since it was the only way they were at eye-level.

"I assume you're happy on this occasion," he continued.

"Why yes! Very much so. I believe in my father, Mr. President. A weaker, less-scrupulous man would let things go to his head and use his power for himself. But my father is a kind man who only has everyone else's well-being in mind."

"Oh, I'm sure of it," Finley agreed. He idly scratched his chin fur while studying the three most prominent figures on stage. "In fact, I think most people in the world have Lylat's best intentions in mind. It's merely that we all have different ways of approaching it. We seek the same destination, but our journeys take us on different paths; often crossing one another in unpleasant ways." He turned to Fara. "Isn't that right, Ms. Phoenix?"

Fara lowered her head. "I know that you and the corporatists don't see eye-to-eye, President Finley."

He snorted, and the fur over his mouth and nose momentarily puffed out. "That's putting things nicely. I assume you know my allies in the court will be launching an anti-trust suit?"

The fennec dipped her head. "Yes, Father did mention the possibility. However, he doesn't seem worried. You can only stunt Lylat's recovery for so long, Mr. President. Lofty promises and temporary fixes can't feed billions of starving people, or build dwelling places for the homeless. My father is powerful. Powerful and stubborn. His plans won't be stopped so easily. The fact that you missed the appropriate time for such a proceeding is evidence enough that you are failing."

Finley clasped his heart. "You've cut me to the quick. A shame that such a fiery tongue never found its way into politics."

Fara narrowed her eyes at the older gentleman. "If I did I would never get anything done."

"Well, remember this young lady. No matter how good one's intentions are, if they don't bring about their future in a fair manner they will breed others who think their ends likewise justify their means. Only you won't always agree with their ends…but you certainly gave them those means."

Before Fara could respond, the President pivoted his wheelchair around and was off to meet another magnate.

X

"Holy shit, was that the _President!?"_

Fox sat on one of the living room couches, munching away at a plate of eggs and sausage while watching the holovision. Unfortunately Chef ROB sat in the adjoining kitchen's corner, mostly in pieces. Slippy had never been able to get him to work right; whenever they turned him on he ended up chasing Falco around the Great Fox with a carving knife and wing batter.

Krystal sat on the couch opposite his, as Fox wanted to keep a safe distance. He was still worried that she might pry into his mind again, which was why he avoided her.

Instead of having to make conversation or eat in silence, he watched the news report on the Space Dynamics-Phoenix Corp merger. Considering he had stake in both companies, as the team's signature spacecraft was their first joint venture, the HV special should have interested him. However, he only watched the segment to snag glimpses of a certain fennec fox sitting in the front row.

Fox felt a longing inside his heart whenever the cameras caught a picture of Fara. Already she looked so different from how he used to remember her, even if their breakup had been but a few days ago. He loved seeing her in expensive gowns, trendy clothes, and even the flight suits reserved for daring test pilots, but he rarely saw the no-nonsense business side of her. He'd underestimated her in so many ways.

He mindlessly shoveled food into his mouth, keeping his eyes glued to her whenever she appeared onscreen. Was he imagining it? Or was that sorrow on her face? He felt his hopes rising that maybe Fara still loved him, and that he still had a chance with her.

But then Fox pulled himself out of the HV and back to the present. He glanced at the alien blue vixen, eating eggs with her fingers across from him. No, he'd ruined his chances of being with Fara ever again. That choice was made when he impulsively kidnapped the vixen the day before. It was another in a long line of rash decisions, only this time there was no turning back. He'd committed to wronging the Cornerians, his former allies. If he was ever captured, he'd be imprisoned for life. Perhaps they'd even wipe his memories or exile him to Venom. And the worst of all was, he'd probably deserve it. He couldn't even hope for juvey anymore. His thoughts continued to spiral downwards, one somber realization after another. He wouldn't be able to return home. He wouldn't be able to meet with any of his friends or let himself be seen in public again. He'd have to retreat to the criminal underworld.

And the source of all his problems didn't even know how to eat a scrambled egg.

Fox's preoccupation with Fara didn't escape Krystal. For awhile she was fascinated by the tiny ghosts populating the screen, but eventually she realized it was just a representation of a scene taking place elsewhere. She glanced back and forth, noticing how Fox gazed longingly at the fennec.

" _Who is she?"_

Fox flinched when Krystal's words echoed in his mind.

"She's a friend of mine. I recently said goodbye to her, but I still miss her."

" _Why do you care so much about her?"_

Fox shut the HV off but didn't answer. He went back to playing with his breakfast.

" _Do you miss her like you miss your mother?"_

His fork clattered onto his plate.

"No Krystal, I love them both, but…I love Fara in a different way."

" _How? There are different kinds of…love?"_

Fox closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He felt uncomfortable talking about this subject at all.

"Yes Krystal. It's…it's hard to explain. I don't think you've ever known this type of love. It's not between parent and child, it's…"

While Fox stumbled through the words, Krystal grew impatient. She dove into his mind and searched for any images of Fara in his sea of thoughts. Fox gasped as she picked out his most cherished memories of the girl, curiously viewing them. She saw them taking long walks on the Cornerian shore, piloting ships together through space, sharing ice cream and other treats at outdoor cafes. She saw Fox and Fara meet for the first time, as well as their first awkward kiss. She saw Fara straddling Fox's waist in bed, breathless and free while her father was away-

Clutching his head again, Fox struggled to his feet. Krystal managed to catch one last image before Fox scattered them all, like photographs blown by a breeze.

" _She left you?"_ she asked.

Fox breathed in and out slowly, trying to control his emotions.

"Yes. She left me. What of it?"

" _That's sad. It feels like when Vixy left me, but…different."_

"My mother never abandoned you, Krystal. Nor did she abandon me. She would never leave someone she loves willingly." Fox wrung his hands and stared far away. "Never."

 _"Oh_ _…_ _"_

Suddenly Krystal's expression brightened. _"I saw you save this girl a long time ago, just like you saved me. Do you save many people?"_

"It's _…_ an occupational hazard."

" _Wow! I'm not that different than her, aren't I?"_

"No, you're as different as can be. I'm the only common element between you two."

" _Why aren't you talking with your inner voice? Do you not like it?"_

Fox clenched his fists. He suppressed his anger by measuring his breathing, then turned to leave before he broke something.

"Krystal, I'm going to go wash up. Frankly we're both covered in filth and more disgusting things than I can count, and I can't stand it any longer."

He was right. The day prior their adventures had soiled them in cryofluid, the blood of at least three or four different parties, sweat, and Venomian dust. Fox needed a change of clothes badly, and Krystal needed clothes _period._ She still only wore the oversized lab coat Fox had found for her in the labs. Like his own clothes it was speckled in blood and utterly reeked. The bottom hem was eaten away by acid, leaving behind gaping holes.

"I'll have to leave for a few minutes; don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone. I'll get you washed up later, okay?"

Krystal nodded. _"Jaii!"_

 _"Jaii,"_ Fox mumbled to himself as he ducked out the door.

X

Finally in the privacy of his own room again, Fox shut and locked his bathroom door. He'd die right then and there if Krystal wandered in looking for him. She didn't seem to have any concept of modesty or personal space; especially _mental_ private space.

In the comfort of the bathroom, Fox peeled off his layers of clothing one by one and lay them in a hamper by the door. Each one came away sticky with sweat and/or blood, and whatever other chemicals he managed to get on them. He paused before climbing into the combination shower and bath, smelling himself. He grimaced and stuck out his tongue. It was a miracle that he'd lasted this long without bathing or his nose shriveling up.

The bathroom was rather large for a dreadnought, but since he roomed in what would be considered the captain's quarters, it was the most luxuriant on the ship. That is, if any of these rooms could be considered luxuriant.

Wagging his tail in anticipation, Fox adjusted the shower knob so that it nearly pointed all the way to 'Hot.' When the water heated to a temperature of his liking he pulled the curtain aside and stepped in.

The concentrated storm of raindrops washed over his fur, immediately spreading blissful warmth through his skin. His muscles lost all their tension from the past couple days, and he nearly slumped to the floor from relaxation. The water came away red and full of dirt as it washed the grime and blood from his fur.

Fox closed his eyes and lifted his head, letting the hot spray wash over him like a wave. He took comfort in the womb-like nature of the shower; the warmth, the cleansing liquid, the light shining through his red lids, and the solitude the curtain provided. He was alone with himself, safe.

Now that Krystal couldn't pry into his mind, Fox took the chance to collect his thoughts. So much had changed over the past few days. In the span of 72 hours, he'd been arrested, gone nearly bankrupt, broke up with his girlfriend of three years, discovered his parent's connection with Andross, rescued an alien girl, and nearly suffocated to death on Venom's surface. Weren't people routinely exiled there? Like the ones who committed really _really_ bad crimes? And he'd gone there willingly.

Fox shivered at the thought.

Feeling dizzy, he leaned forward and placed two hands on the wall beneath the showerhead. He bowed his head beneath his sinewed shoulders, letting his white hair cover his eyes.

Hot damn was he in trouble. Drunk driving a monster truck through traffic was one thing, but kidnapping a research subject? Pepper would never forgive him, and he didn't blame the general.

The way he saw it he had two choices. One; turn back now, return the Cerinian, and destroy all traces of the stolen data. Perhaps if he told them Krystal mind-controlled him, they'd believe him. Could she mind control people? Fox wouldn't put it past her. There was also the fact that he had both saved their last Cerinian subject from drowning and subdued the one that went out of control. Maybe those accomplishments would cover his ass.

The second choice was to go all in. Finish what he started. Krystal was the key to finding out more about his mother, and the data he sent Slippy could shine light on her research. If he got over his fears and spent more time with Krystal, maybe he could-

But Fox shook his head and snarled. He slammed a clenched fist against the tiled wall, then winced and shook the pain out of it.

He couldn't believe how selfish he sounded! All this time he was only thinking of himself and not her. Of course he had saved her and helped her escape, which wasn't initially motivated by his desire for closure. But now he was thinking about her like a tool; little more than a means to reminisce about his long dead mother. He'd freed the poor girl only to keep her locked up aboard his ship.

Finding his distorted reflection in the shower knob, he whispered, "You've treated her like shit."

He regretted being so mean and callous about her reading his mind. Maybe if anyone else tried it, he'd have a reason to be. But not her. It wasn't her fault she was imprisoned for most of her life and had no one to teach her how to behave. Of course she wouldn't understand etiquette or how other people's emotions worked in general.

Fox frowned when he thought back to the couple times where he raised his voice at her. The stunned expression on her face. The slight tremble as she recoiled. The involuntary reflex as her mind went back to her years in the labs. Why hadn't he been gentler?

And she had been so concerned for _him_. She didn't view his memories to blackmail him or gain power over him. She did it to _understand_ him. Because he was hurting and she could feel it. Like a therapist she had identified the source of his troubles; she was much more perceptive and intelligent than he gave her credit for. He shouldn't mistake ignorance of the world for lack of reasoning.

But…what was she on about with Fara? Was Fox mistaken, or did she notice the fennec-shaped hole in his heart? Did she…want to fill it?

Fox shook his head, scattering water droplets from his hair. No, perhaps he was digging too much. What even was his relationship with Krystal? He didn't love her. At least, not truly. Anything he felt for her came from pity or because he needed someone to get over Fara, or because she was attractive.

Yes, she was quite pretty, wasn't she? Fox grinned sheepishly as he remembered back to when he had first laid eyes on her, floating like a mermaid in the cryotube. Even after she was dirtied with soot and grime, his first appraisal of her hadn't changed. She was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Though maybe he was just a bit starved for such beauty after being separated from Fara for several days.

Fox grimaced. Oh no. After he finished showering he'd have to help Krystal bathe; something which filled him with dread. He'd teach her how to hold a fork. He'd teach her how to speak Cornerian. He'd teach her how to flush a toilet and wash her hands. Hell, he'd even teach her how to fly his fucking Arwing. _Anything_ , besides teaching her how to bathe.

He thought back to Fara, and even Abby and…Lisa? The two girls Falco had brought. If it were one of them, he wouldn't have any second thoughts. But with someone as naïve and innocent as Krystal-

Fox's ears shot up. He heard the door latch clicking before the panel slid open.

With his heart pounding, he squeaked, "Sanitation ROB, that better be you."

A shadow fell over the curtain, and a blue-furred head poked itself through.

"Konallo!" Krystal beamed.

Fox jumped like a murderer was attacking him in the shower.

"Now that's just not fair! How did you get through that lock? I thought for sure I-"

But Krystal climbed unabated into the shower, joining him. Fox set his teeth and retreated into the corner, strategically covering his flank with his bushy tail.

"Mmm…" The Cerinian felt entranced by the sprinkling warm water. From the way she acted, it seemed like her first time in her entire life taking a shower. She was amazed by how soothing the cascade was against her shoulders and neck. She turned away from Fox to face the showerhead and just stood there. She seemed to drift off into a hypnotic bliss, soaking it all in, but in the process blocking the spray to leave Fox high and dry.

The vulpine shivered a bit, now that his naked frame didn't have the water to warm him. He glanced over his shoulder, looking at Krystal as she swayed back and forth in front of the water flow. Grabbing a washcloth to drape in front of his nakedness, he turned to face her back. Thankfully she was still wearing the ragged labcoat, which now clung to her drenched fur.

"Uh…Krystal?"

A blue ear poked up at the sound of her newly-given name.

"Krystal, you're not supposed to be here right now. We're supposed to shower alone."

 _"Jaii?"_

Fox shuffled his feet and tried again. "I wanted to shower alone. By myself. Without you, you know? Plus we really shouldn't be naked around each other. It's not decent."

"Tashich nīe verkaru!" she laughed back at him, still accepting the water like it was the holy rays from the sun.

Fox sighed, feeling more awkward by the second. After holding a silent debate in his head, he realized it was the only way. When he worked up the courage, he reached out with his thoughts and yelled her name.

" _Krystal!"_

She jumped. _"You don't have to shout, silly! Just concentrate more."_

Fox looked down. _"Oh, sorry._ _Krystal, you don't seem to understand what modesty is. I was trying to tell you a few seconds ago, we're not supposed to bathe together!"_

She cocked her head, staring up at the shower nozzle. _"We're not supposed to be in here?"_

Fox rolled his eyes. _"Well,_ we're _not, but_ I _can be in here by myself. See, I just wanted to be in here alone."_

" _Do you…want to keep all of these good feelings to yourself?"_ she said in reference to the water.

" _No! I just wanted to wash off first, then I would've let you have a turn."_

" _Well, why can't we both be in here at the same time?"_ She tilted her head back and forth so that the water massaged either shoulder and side of her neck.

Fox slapped a paw over his face. _"That's…what I'm trying to explain to you. It's just that…I mean we shouldn't be…it's indecent for both of us to…"_

His heart stopped when she turned around to face him, the tub squeaking beneath her paws. The labcoat was positively soaked and plastered to her delicate frame. It was translucent to the point where he could see her breasts pressed tightly against it. To make matters worse, the front was still unbuttoned and open all the way down, and unlike Fox, Krystal had no intention of covering herself with a washcloth.

" _Fox, are you okay? You're acting a bit strange."_ Her jaw hung open slightly when she saw the vulpine standing nude before her. _"Oh, I know. I shouldn't be wearing this in here, should I? I need to be like you."_

How was it even possible to stutter through thoughts? _"S-sure, I mean, you're not supposed to shower while dressed-"_

" _Okay!"_

" _Wait!"_

But before Fox could protest further, Krystal peeled off the heavy labcoat and dropped it outside the shower. It fell on the tiled floor with a splat.

" _There. Now am I doing it right?"_

Fox tried to think, but his mind turned to jello. His eyes felt magnetized to her, but that was only a slight of the pen. He couldn't deny that he _wanted_ to look at her and soak up her beauty in all of its glory. It just wasn't so much of a rational decision as it was him giving into his instincts.

He tried to form words, which was difficult given how often his throat involuntarily constricted. He could feel his pulse accelerating, ringing in his ears so that it drowned out all cogent thought.

Fox attempted to look Krystal in the eye when he spoke, but he kept getting distracted by the glimmering water droplets that raced down her face, and the star-like jewels that condensed on her rising and contracting breasts.

" _Krystal, please try to understand. It's not right for a man and a woman to be together like this."_

" _Why not?"_ She tilted her head to one side while brushing the water off her sides.

" _It's just not something you do in society. It's not normal."_

" _What does it matter if it's not normal? No one else is here. It's just the two of us…"_

Fox closed his eyes and gulped. That was part of the problem, he thought to himself, but withheld the sentiment from Krystal. _"Well, we're different, you and me. Men and women are different."_

" _And this difference is what keeps them apart?"_ Krystal asked, starting to grasp what he was getting at. _"How are they different? In what way?"_

"Uhhhh…"

Fox let his vision wander down her chest and stomach. He now had a heightened awareness of the washcloth he held to his groin, which he kept having to hold further and further away.

" _Words are failing you. Would it help if I looked into your mind?"_

All of Fox's muscles contorted. If she did he was fucked.

He needed a new approach; one that didn't evolve explaining the birds and the bees.

" _Krystal, have you noticed a pattern? Everyone we've seen wears clothes. I wear clothes. The Cornerian guards chasing us wore clothes. All of the scientists wore clothes. Heck, my mother wore clothes! You've seen them all."_

" _But_ I _don't wear clothes,"_ Krystal corrected him, clasping her arms and holding them behind her back. _"None of my sisters – Cerinians, as you called them – wear clothes either."_

Fox looked towards the ceiling. _"Yes but that's because they didn't_ give _you clothes! That was part of their torture; giving you no place to hide, no way to cover up or escape their vision. That's why you called them 'the Watchers,' right? It's so they could keep you in those prisons and operate on you at will. Don't you ever remember feeling cold on one of those tables? Wishing you could cover up? Wishing you could hide your secrets?"_

The more Fox spoke, the more Krystal seemed to grow afraid. She hunched over slightly, suddenly wrapping her arms around her chest. Fox noticed her distress and cut himself off, but it was already too late. He'd dug up more of her memories again to win a stupid battle over cultural norms.

" _I…I do remember. You're right. I didn't like being unclothed around them, but…"_

Slowly she released her arms, uncovering herself again. She looked bashfully away from Fox. _"I don't mind when it's just you."_

Fox's eyes widened and his jaw lulled open.

When he didn't respond Krystal continued. _"Besides, those people we saw wore clothes because it was cold. They protect them from the cool air and dirt and fluids. But here it's so hot and relaxing. How can you expect me to wear clothes? Even you are not dressed. You know for someone so brave, you really are silly."_

Fox finally reconnected to the speech portion of his brain. _"B-but there are things about us we can't let each other see!"_

Krystal shook her head. _"I've shared everything with you, Fox. I trust you."_

The vulpine began to speak but caught himself. She was right. She kept no secrets. And now that she stood unclothed before him he understood it on a very physical level. He tried looking past her outward beauty and realized her body told a story. He noticed the white tattoos on her arms and legs; information printed directly on her like her body was little more than a product for uncaring scientists. Beneath her shiny wet fur, her skin revealed a myriad of scratches and scars from countless operations. The crooks of her elbows bore constellations of needle pinpricks which told of relentless injections and blood tests.

The more he tried to reason with Krystal, the more his 'common sense' seemed to prove nonsensical and foolish. She had him seriously doubting his own social norms, confounding his reasoning with the wisdom of a child. In the end there wasn't any point. He was fighting against a brick wall, and he was throwing spitballs.

" _You mean you don't feel awkward about any of this?"_

" _Of course not! Why should I? Even if I don't have 'clothes,' I still have my fur."_

Fox sighed and wiped his brow. _"Well, if you're not bothered, I really don't have a reason to be either. Fine; you can stay."_

Krystal smiled at him. "Thank you!" she said aloud in a Venomian accent. _"Now, what else is this 'shower' for? Besides giving pleasure, I mean. Is it for cleaning wounds?"_

" _In a way. It's more so for washing off dirt and sweat."_

" _That doesn't make sense. It can do all three, can it?"_

" _I guess so, but usually we just have Nurse ROB-"_

" _What's this?"_ Krystal picked up a bar of soap from the wall pocket. She raised it to her muzzle and sniffed. "Mmmm! _It smells delicious. Is it shower food?"_

" _It's called soap. It's just for-KRYSTAL NO!"_

Before he could stop her, the vixen took a hefty bite out of the white bar. Her eyes widened and she gagged, spitting out the mouthful of mangled soap. She dropped the rest of the bar and tried to wipe the awful taste off her tongue, which of course only spread more suds over it.

"ACK! Foxsu, tashich seinsu shinben!"

"I'm sorry!"

At first Fox thought Krystal was doubling over, but she was only bending down to pick up the soap. She tried to grip it in her hands but it squeezed out, firing in Fox's direction.

"Yipes!" Fox caught the bar with both hands against his chest, but in the process he dropped the cloth covering his manhood. He reached down to cover himself with his hands, only succeeding in dropping the soap again. "Aw shit!"

While he stooped over to collect the dropped items, Krystal gave up spitting the horrible taste out. She combed the shower space for anything that could clean her palette.

Fox eventually captured the run-away soap as well as his washcloth and straightened back up. His heart froze in fear when he found Krystal upending the shampoo bottle into her throat. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

The clear shampoo overflowed from Krystal's mouth and spilled out onto her chest. It went about as good as the soap did. Krystal spat out the viscous liquid, which unfortunately landed on Fox.

Krystal tried to expel the rest of the milky substance but it was too sticky, and she couldn't work up enough spit. She tried to form words but only choked further. Finally she connected back with his mind, and Fox felt a myriad of fear, disgust, and desperation. _"Fox, help me!"_

Head ringing like a bell from her plea, Fox looked around for something to wash the shampoo out with. Bingo! he thought as he landed on the showerhead. Reaching around Krystal, and trying not to make any excessive contact, he twisted the nozzle so that the spray concentrated into a powerful beam. From there he turned the temperature all the way down to cool and repositioned Krystal by the shoulders so that she stood directly in the path of the stream. Krystal gratefully drank in the ice cold water and spat it out whenever her mouth filled up. Eventually she had enough and ducked beneath it, shivering.

" _Fox, I'm cold. Can you make it hot again?"_

Fox was feeling chills himself. He stepped around Krystal to turn the knob down but slipped on the bar of soap. He flailed his arms, prompting Krystal to try to help him, but in the end she just came tumbling down with him.

The vulpine saw stars for a moment, but when the spots cleared he was lying in the basin of the tub under the water spout, with Krystal dazed in his arms. Her eyes flickered open, and she looked around in confusion.

A knock sounded on the door before it whirred open. A ROB unit rolled in holding a bucket of water and a squeegee. It abruptly stopped when it noticed Fox and Krystal entangled on the floor of the shower. Its eyepieces raised knowingly.

"Sanitation ROB, I can explain-"

 _"Oh. I…see that you are busy. I will reschedule bathroom maintenance to the next shift."_

ROB pivoted on his wheels and rolled back out the door. It slid shut behind him, cutting off the cold draft.

Fox sighed heavily. "Now _this_ is why men and women don't bathe together."

Krystal climbed to her feet and backed to the rear of the shower. Her eyes wavered like they were about to spill tears.

"Gomenshuld!" she whimpered. "Tash-" but a large iridescent bubble escaped her lips, and she froze.

"Nas seinsu-?" she asked, only for a smaller flock of bubbles to wobble out. This proved to be the last humiliation she could suffer, and the vixen began to sniff back tears. She turned to the corner, wrapping her arms around herself and curling her tail around her torso protectively.

Fox picked up the soap and washcloth and struggled to his feet. He reached out with his mind. _"Krystal-?"_

" _I wish I had clothes."_ Her thoughts were blue and icy; a mix of self-pity, regret, and shame.

Heartbroken, Fox reached a hand out to her shoulder, but she retreated further.

Her thoughts came unbidden to him. She didn't have any way of concealing them or holding them back. _"You think you are smarter than me. You know more Cornerian than I do. You know what shower food to eat and what not to eat. You think you know more than me just because you live out here on your own and can make your own food and soar anywhere you want. Because you have everyone in the world to speak to, and I've never had anyone to speak to."_

If it had been Fara, she would've clammed up and given him the icy shoulder for at least two days before he found out what was wrong.

Fox didn't try to speak with her. He quietly reset the showerhead to warm water and a gentle fan spray. Already it began to chase away the cold. Then he lathered his hands with soap and placed them on her grime-covered shoulder blades.

Surprised, Krystal looked over her shoulder. He could see tears in her eyes, easily distinguishable from the shower water.

" _What are you doing?"_ Her thoughts were only a pale blue now.

" _Washing you. Hold still."_

Krystal bent her head over, still feeling ashamed. Her wet hair flipped down to cover her eyes.

Fox massaged the suds into her shoulders, wiping away the dirt and sweat clinging to her fur.

" _I take it shower food is for washing and not eating,"_ she said dejectedly.

" _Exactly. Soap loosens the dirt and leaves you smelling sweet and clean."_

Krystal startled Fox by banging her fist against the tiled wall. _"Why would you make something that smells so good taste so awful!?"_

" _Hey,_ I _didn't make it. Of course if I had my way, I'd make it taste good. But you're not supposed to eat it; you're supposed to wash with it."_ Having finished with her shoulders, Fox drew back. _"There. Get the idea?"_

" _Yes, it feels good."_ Krystal turned to face Fox, waiting expectantly. But the vulpine hadn't planned on washing her front as well.

Before the silence dragged on too long, Fox placed the bar of soap in Krystal's hands. _"Uh, here. Now you try."_

This time Krystal took extra care not to drop the soap. She lathered it in her paws before setting the bar down. Then she placed her sud-soaked palms on Fox's chest.

"Ah!"

" _What's wrong?"_

Fox gulped. _"Um, I wasn't expecting you to wash me."_

" _But you washed me, silly. I want you to feel good too. Don't you trust me?"_

" _Of…of course I do."_

" _Then loosen up!"_ Krystal rubbed her paws across Fox's torso. _"You are tense. It won't feel good unless you relax."_

Fox knew there was no other way to get out of this one, so he did his best to release his pent up stress. He closed his eyes and let his body sway slightly as Krystal worked away at it. There was nothing to do but let her have her way and bear with it. In fact, the less he worried about it, the better it felt. The vixen's hands felt light and delicate as she massaged his chest, which was indeed tense from a full day of exertion.

With nothing left to do, Fox turned to his own thoughts again, as he had at the beginning of his shower. He appreciated the silence as Krystal diligently worked away at him, her brow intensely furrowed. Fox had underestimated how attached to him she would become, especially if they had bonded this much in the couple days they had known each other.

As Krystal scrubbed her way down to his stomach, Fox thought how, from the way she seemed to care about him and freely expose herself to him, Krystal must have been desperate for any kind of affection or comfort. Heck, even just a person she could talk to. It was as if she had always been cooped up in her mind with nothing to do but replay old memories while trying to pick out the kernels of good in the otherwise painful shells-

" _What is this anyway?"_

"ERK!" Fox's body locked up at the mercy of the vixen's grasp.

"Ah! Sores wasnobiru!"


	10. Homesick

Mission No. 10

Corneria  
Tetracon Vale Apartments

Homesick

X

Slippy's apartment door burst open, and the amphibian stumbled in carrying his coat and electronics case. Shifting his baggage between his arms, he finally managed to pocket his keys and shut and lock the deadbolts behind him. Years of working in the tech industry had made him overly paranoid.

He dropped his coat and leather case on the living room sofa of his spacious apartment and walked into the kitchen. It seemed that out of the three younger members of Starfox, he was the only one to wisely hold onto his money. His share had been smaller than Fox's or Falco's, but he didn't immediately blow it on hookers and expensive mansions. No, he _invested._

After heating a mug of coffee up in his kitchen, he kicked off his shoes and entered the "Cave." The room was dimly lit by blue lighting, and a frigid draft hit him as soon as he opened the door. The walls of his own personal server room were stacked to the ceiling with shelves of server grids and CPUs, kept cool by an array of fans and liquid coolant systems. As he passed by the shelves, he lovingly patted a few of the units. Yes, these were his babies. His investments. And they did everything from trading online stock to mining crypto; even a bit of hacking when he felt like it.

Sitting down at his desk, he sipped his steaming coffee and placed it on a cup-holder next to several other mugs filled to various capacities. He cracked his neck, alleviating the strain from working a 9-5 job at Space Dynamics. His hobbies weren't that much different than his day job, but the difference lay in who was giving the orders. At home, Slippy had no one but himself to obey.

But he wasn't interested in checking the market values of crypto for that day, nor in how well his stock trading was performing. He'd been receiving a constant data stream from Fox for the past day and was eager to send him results. Outside of a few ceremonial events and photo-ops, the frog hadn't seen his friend in a month. Judging by the news, Fox had really let himself go. Now that he was getting a secure data stream from Fox containing mysterious files, Slippy felt like they were preparing for a new job. In fact he could smell it in the air. The Starfox team; back together again for a secret mission!

The amphibian rubbed his hands together. Ooh he couldn't wait to be back aboard the Great Fox with his friends, breaking through enemy lines and sticking it to bogeys. Now _that_ was where he belonged.

Slippy had diverted a good portion of his units to data mine the information Fox sent him. It looked to be top secret files, which Slippy had no problem examining. As long as no one found out, he could get away with it. And Fox wouldn't have sent them the files unless something important was going on.

Slippy cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let's open her up…"

The amphibian looked over the initial findings of the research. A veritable labyrinth of folders, mountains of spreadsheets, and hundreds of gigabytes worth of image files. His data mining programs were busy sorting and indexing all of the information while he was at work, so now he could finally take a look.

Slippy tabbed through many of the images, his eyes widening. It was scientific research, but the disturbing part was it was half in Venomian. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if it came from Space Dynamic's exploration of Andross's labs. There were all kinds of blueprints for bioweapons, isometric charts for transcribing chemical chains, and fuzzy photographs of some of their initial experiments. Slippy's stomach churned at many of the monsters. He recognized several that Starfox had fought during the Lylat Wars, and he wasn't itching to see them again.

He had still received just a fraction of the data from Fox's subspace stream, and his algorithms had only indexed a portion of that, but he was too excited to wait. Using a variety of inputs and constraints, Slippy sorted the projects by relative importance. He prioritized frequency of file access and security clearance level, among other parameters.

One term quickly rose to the top of the data.

"'Cerinian?'"

The word had a nice ring to it. It sounded much more peaceful and pretty just from the way it rolled off his tongue. It stood out from the rest of the foul-sounding terms that represented even fouler experiments. Slippy decided to look into it.

"Ho-lee-shit. What have we here?"

He glanced through everything the search results yielded. Scientific papers. Research notes. Photographs. Diagrams. He was attracted to the images more than anything else for how swiftly they popped out at him.

He whistled. Blue foxes? What would Andross think of next - well, nothing, because he was dead. All of these specimens were beautiful, even if Slippy wasn't personally into the species himself. The numbers indicated there were at least thirty or forty of them in existence.

Keywords kept jumping out at him.

Psychic.

Telepathy.

Telekinesis.

Paranormal.

 _Impossible._

Finally Slippy decided to dive into one of the research papers. It was entitled, 'On the Extrasolar Origin of the Cerinians.' He began scrolling through the document, scanning the scientific text for important information. But like before, the images jumped out of them. He enlarged one in particular, until it filled up his entire screen. A bright circular shape began burning itself on his retina, to the point where he almost missed the scrawled spatial coordinates written beneath the image. Was this-

His phone rang in his pocket, and Slippy jumped. Realizing there was no threat, he fished it out of his pocket. He glanced at the screen, then upon recognizing the caller answered.

"Hello? Peppy?"

The hare's voice was urgent.

"Slippy, listen closely. I've just got a call from General Pepper. We need to talk about Fox..."

X

Fox pressed a button on the door's exterior, and the steel panel slid open. He and Krystal peered into the room, which was washed in purple from the expansive glass window covering the far wall. The everchanging light danced across the room's interior, barely illuminating the modest furniture and other modern conveniences within. It was the guest cabin, having belonged to Fara in the past, and before that, his mother.

Fox switched on the light switch, dispelling all of the shadows and replacing the dim violet light with fluorescent white.

"Well, here's your cabin," he said aloud. Then, catching himself, he tried to telegraph the same sentence through his thoughts instead. _"This is where you'll be staying."_

Krystal curiously stepped into the new room, looking around. She still wore a white towel wrapped tightly around her frame from earlier that day, in spite of all of Fox's efforts to get her to wear something more modest.

" _It is very nice,"_ she thought.

Fox stepped in after her, showing her around a bit.

" _This is the light switch,"_ he said as he flipped it on and off. _"It makes things darker or brighter. You should shut it off when you want to go to bed."_

Krystal latched onto the word 'bed' and the images attached to it. She stepped over to the soft piece of furniture. _"I should shut the light off when I sit on this?"_

Fox realized the vagueness 'going to bed' presented without understanding the language. " _Oh. I mean when you go to sleep. The lights are for keeping you awake, so you'll need to turn them off when you sleep."_ Fox stepped over to the bathroom. _"Now, in here is your own personal shower, which you'll be using from now on instead of my-"_

Krystal plopped down on the bed, her face lighting up when she bounced up and down.

" _Wow, it is soft like the 'couch,' only bouncy!"_ And she hopped up and down to prove it.

Fox couldn't help but chuckle at her antics. _"Oh, you'd be surprised!"_

He climbed up onto her bed and jumped, sending Krystal a few inches into the air when he landed.

"Oh! Haha," she laughed. She stood up on the bed herself, and the two bounced away, giggling like infants. It took Fox back to his childhood when he still had fun doing these types of things. It never really leaves you.

Sanitation ROB rolled into the room, carrying a small pile of clothes. When he noticed the two jumping on the bed like idiots, he stopped and watched. His headpiece tilted up and down with each bounce.

"Come on ROB!" Fox invited. "Why don't you join us? I bet you've never bounced on a bed before."

 _"No thank you. My calculations estimate a 37% chance of injuring at least one of us, and unlike robot parts, bones are more expensive to replace."_

"Aw you're no fun," Fox dismissed him as he laid the clothes at the foot of the bed.

After ROB exited in a hurry, Fox accidentally landed mere instants before Krystal did, causing her to fall lower than she expected. The double bounce made her fly back into the air, flailing her arms. She cried out excitedly, then landed on her back. Fox stopped bouncing as well and sprawled out on the bed next to her. The two collapsed into laughter, recovering their breath.

"Ugh, well that's enough for one night," Fox said as he rose to his feet. He gestured to the T-shirt, sweatpants, and underwear ROB left for Krystal. The T-shirt and sweatpants seemed to be his, while the underwear most definitely belonged to Fara. _"Here are some clothes for you…that is, if you so choose to wear them, your highness_."

Krystal merely stuck her tongue out at the articles, but then curled back in a tired yawn. It proved contagious, as Fox yawned too.

" _Alright, you look tired. You've learned a lot of things today; sometimes the hard way. It's best that we say goodnight now."_

Fox turned down the covers on the bed, exposing the sheets and pillows while making room for Krystal. _"Um, do I have to explain this? You sleep in here, and the covers keep you warm during nightcycle."_

With her eyelids drooping, Krystal shrugged off her towel and crawled between the sheets. Fox hastily covered her back up and stepped away.

Krystal rolled onto her side and gazed up at Fox. "Thank you," she said aloud. _"I've never felt anything as comfortable as this 'bed.' I wish everything were made from this."_

 _"Actually Slippy and I had a plan to fill the interior of the Great Fox with pillows,_ " Fox joked. _"But it was one of the more extreme ideas we never went through with. Now the 30-foot ball pit is another story."_

Before leaving the room he switched the lights off, and the room was once again bathed in the glow of the outside nebula.

Krystal suddenly sat up in bed. "Foxsu?"

The vulpine poked his head back in. "Yes?"

She looked at him sheepishly, cuddling the pillow so that it obscured her mouth, leaving only her eyes.

" _Do you have to go?"_

Fox looked around, embarrassed. _"Yes Krystal, I need to go to my bed."_

" _Where will you be…"_

" _Oh, good question; I'll be in my own room. If you need anything, like if you're thirsty or somethin', just knock on my door. Anyway, goodnight, Krystal."_

" _Goodnight, Fox."_

Krystal lowered herself back onto the pillow and snuggled into the blankets. Fox smiled after she closed her eyes, watching for a few seconds while she dozed off. Then he exited the room and walked to his own cabin.

Closing the door behind him, he poked at a terminal beside the frame, dialing in the Great Fox's night cycle for nine hours. After a good yawn and stretch he turned off the lights in his room and closed the glass viewing wall. It was replaced with a wall-to-wall LED screen that showed a panoramic view of the Cornerian countryside; a picturesque scene of rural farmland at night, the sky full of stars and the Cornerian moon reflecting off a lake. The grass wavered gently, the water rippled, and the stars twinkled in real time. Being in space too long made him miss solid ground, and the 'natural' lighting seemed to help him sleep.

Fox stripped down to his underwear and climbed in bed. He faced the screen, eyes flitting open and closed as he took in the peaceful countryside.

Sleep refused to come to him. He had too much on his mind. What if the Cornerians found him? Or even marauders scouring the nebula? Even though he kept an eye trained on the news all day, there hadn't been any reports of his escape, which was…something. Perhaps it meant they hadn't decided if he was a bad actor yet, or at least the Cerinian project was so top secret they couldn't put out a public warrant for his arrest without exposing it. Plus he had saved Lylat during the War. Would the people he liberated really turn on him for the government's sake?

The other item he was worried about was the data he sent to Slippy. He could hardly wait to find out the secrets it contained. How was his mother involved? Where did Krystal come from? What did they plan on doing with her? He desperately needed answers, and his mind raced with possible solutions, refusing him sleep for the moment.

Finally, while it took him awhile, his mind exhausted itself to the point of allowing a light sleep.

X

" _Kaistör sores."_

 _The sharp voice echoed out from the darkness._

 _Krystal sat on the stone cold floor facing a skull-sized rock. A bright white light blinded her from every angle if she looked anywhere else but the stone. It covered her, exposing every side of her to the Watchers. They were little more than black silhouettes against the light._

 _The young vixen reached out with her mind, trying to feel the stone without touching it. Even though she sat in a huddled mass six feet away from the object, she was able to trace its borders and razor sharp edges with her eyes closed._

" _Kaistör sores!"_

 _This time the voice seemed to stab through the shadows and bright lights. Flinching, she threw all of her might against the rock._

 _It didn't budge._

" _Kaistör sores, siekim meinsau!"_

 _Krystal's body convulsed from electric shocks, grounded via a metal collar around her neck. She grit her teeth and curled over until the punishment stopped._

 _She tried harder this time, imagining herself crushing the rock with her bare paws, but it wouldn't flinch._

" _Arawied," the voice spat in disgust._

 _Again the electric shock came, stinging every nerve ending and capillary in her body. This wave left her crumpled to the floor, but she still tried desperately to crush the rock._

 _Why, why would they do this? What had she done to them? Couldn't they see that she was trying? That every fiber of her being wanted to destroy that damned rock?_

 _Each second the stone didn't move filled her with increasing anxiety that the shocks would return._

 _And return they did._

 _Krysal's back arched and she let forth a forlorn scream._

" _Kaistör sores!" the voice bellowed a final time._

 _With no other options left, Krystal crawled forward and grasped the rock in her hands. Sobbing, she smashed it against the cement floor, again, and again, and again._

 _It was no use. She heard the disappointment in the Watcher's voices, and the chain around her collar suddenly jerked her back. She did her best to scramble in the direction it pulled to alleviate its choking vice._

" _Yamalt sores, yamalt!" she pleaded. "Tashich seinsu gomenschuld!"_

Krystal's eyes flashed awake, and she woke up in tears. She clutched the soft pillow to her chest, trying to strangle some warmth or comfort out of it. It was the only thing she had, but it wouldn't do. She breathed in rapid, shallow breaths, trying to coax her heart rate back down to normal. Looking around she was greeted with the four unfamiliar walls of her cabin, floating somewhere out in the great void beyond.

You're fine now, she told herself. You're far away from that place, and you're never going back.

She shivered, and pulled the blankets up over her head, trying to comfort herself. Suddenly it felt much cooler in the cabin, and she longed for the warmth of the 'shower.'

Krystal sat up and slipped out of bed, but the unbearable cold air washed over her after the covers slipped off. She grabbed one of the sheets and pulled with all her might until it came free. She stumbled back with a "Yipe!" then gratefully wrapped the sheet around her shoulders.

Cautiously she stepped out into the hall of the behemoth. In some ways it reminded her of the mazes of corridors in the lab, but it was much cleaner and somehow…warmer, though not in the sense of hot and cold. It was…intangible. Whereas the lab's intention was to devour and digest, the Great Fox held a matronly air about it, as if the creature she walked around inside would protect her.

She held her breath, peeking left and right to make sure no one was there. Fox seemed to live on the giant creature alone, besides all of the hard-shelled 'ROB' people that patrolled the corridors. Still, she couldn't be sure. Anyone else could be aboard the behemoth. As she walked down the cold steel hallway, she kept an eye out for every nook and cranny, fearing that one of the Watchers or the guards that chased them might be lurking there.

She wandered down the hallway, scanning the rooms on the left and right. Behind one of these doors was Fox, but which one was it? They all looked the same in the dark!

 _"Are you alright, ma'am?"_

Krystal jumped at the sound of the halting voice, then turned to see it was just one of the ROBs.

" _Can you tell me where Fox is?"_ she telegraphed. When she got no response, she followed up with, _"Hello?"_

 _"Ma'am?"_ the metal person repeated.

Curious, she reached out with her mind but strangely found nothing there. Was this ROB really a person?

"Um, dokowo seinsu Foxsu?" she stammered aloud.

ROB's gears whirred. _"Aha, Venomian. Fox raūm seinsu sandrei doats nizu reichtmig."_

Krystal was relieved that someone aboard the ship finally spoke Venomian. After bowing her head in thanks, she raced back down the hall, the sheet billowing around her legs as she ran. She stopped in front of the third door on the right like ROB said. She raised her hand to knock but thought better of it. She remembered the previous times when she had followed Fox unbidden, whether it be into the shower or into his mind. They rarely seemed to turn out well, and she didn't want to disturb him. Perhaps if she snuck in quietly he couldn't stop her?

Glancing around the doorframe in the dim light, she found the panel Fox had used to open her own cabin door. She tried pressing it again with her fingers, but couldn't figure out how he had done it. The lights blinked red with each touch.

Sighing, she came to grips with the fact that she couldn't open it the intended way. No matter. Fox's shower door hadn't been a challenge, and neither would this.

X

Fox's ears poked up when he heard the sound of his cabin door sliding open. It had taken him forever to fall asleep, and even then it wasn't very restful. He rolled onto his back and peered through the darkness to see who had entered his room. Popular to contrary belief, there was no Sandman ROB.

"Krysstal?" his asked sleepily. "Is that you?"

Faintly illuminated by the LED screen on his left, a ghostlike-figure shrouded in airy sheets approached his bed and climbed on top of it. When his eyes adjusted to the lack of light he was able to confirm who it was.

"Foxsu!" the girl cried before letting the sheet fall from her shoulders. Before Fox could protest she slipped between the covers with him, nestling into his soft chest.

At first the vulpine recoiled and held his hands back, but then his chest fur felt the dampness of tears and he noticed her sniffling. Slowly the need to comfort her won out, and Fox wrapped his strong arms around her shivering frame. He pulled her in close and rested his chin atop her head, scratching her hair with his fingers.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here. No one's going to get you. It's just us."

Boy he sucked at this, he told himself.

For awhile she lay in his arms, gratefully eating up his warmth and firm embrace. Then, when Fox worked up the courage, he reached out to her.

" _Krystal? What's wrong?"_

The vixen sniffed, wiping her eyes on his shoulder.

" _I saw them. The Watchers. Back when…back when…"_

Unable to contain herself, she threw her mind at Fox. This time Fox didn't even flinch. He let their thoughts and memories collapse together, and their senses became one. Fox could feel everything Krystal felt; his reassuring arms holding her, his strong chest against her own, the tufts of soft fur brushing her face, and the warmth that seeped from his body to hers. He felt every iota of fear, pain, and sadness threatening to overwhelm her mind by force. They vibrated through her consciousness like soundwaves; both melancholy and discordant chords simultaneously struck on a piano. Worse, there were demons plaguing her; they could do no physical damage, but they could torment her for the rest of the near future if he didn't chase them away.

So Fox let Krystal's mind bond with his own. He poured into her as much warmth and care and pity as he could summon while at the same time taking on each of her negative emotions. In the same way he used his body heat to equalize with her own, he traded his positive feelings away for her negative ones until they reached a kind of equilibrium.

Krystal shared with Fox the horrors that were on her mind. He saw every grim detail of her previous nightmare, his soul a mix of pity for the poor girl in chains and hatred for the Venomians who tormented her. He tried not to let his exposure to the memories sway his own steadfast emotions.

" _It's alright, Krystal. They're dead. All of them. I helped kill them. They'll never hurt you again, and I'm never letting you go back. Ever."_

Krystal's sobs began to subside, and she placed her cool palms against Fox's bare chest. With each passing second she seemed to relax. Fox began rubbing her back gently with his paw until sighs of contentment escaped Krystal's lips

"Thank you…" she sniffed.

The vixen twisted round until she lay facing the LED screen, her tail tickling Fox's stomach. She held one of his arms tightly to her chest while he used the other to continue rubbing her neck. At this point most of her fear seemed to dissipate, replaced with fascination for the countryside scene.

" _What is that?"_ she asked. _"Is it a window?"_

" _Oh, that's just a screen like the one in the living room. If you look really closely you can see all of these tiny little lights that blink different colors. It's not real; it's just like a moving picture."_

" _It's very nice,"_ Krystal said while humming.

" _That's what Corneria looks like. The planet that I've spent most my life on."_

" _Does all of it look like that?"_

" _Well, most of it. There's also the city with a lot of people, but the countryside is much more peaceful."_

The tone of Krystal's thoughts lowered. _"It looks nothing like where I'm from."_

Fox smiled knowingly. " _Corneria is the exact opposite of Venom. It's clean and cool and full of life. You probably have never even seen a plant before, or even the ocean. Ha, I can't wait to show you. Home sweet home…"_

Krystal angled her face slightly towards him. _"You keep calling it 'home.' Why is it home?"_

" _Home? Well, it's where I was born. It's where I grew up and lived with my mother and father. It's where all my happy memories are. The place I swore to protect."_

Krystal's mind vibrated slow and blue. _"Oh. I don't have anything like that. Just the dark place where you found me. It's all I've ever known."_

Fox felt the vixen's sadness reverberating in his own chest.

" _Krystal, I swear I'll help you find your home. I'll travel the stars with you until we do. And who knows; maybe your home will end up being mine as well. Maybe it's with me on Corneria."_

She hummed softly. _"Yes, I think I'd like that. I want to see this place..._

" _This home."_

While Krystal drifted off in his embrace, Fox breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. He had smelled it before, but only traces while aboard the Great Fox. Now with his nose above her hair he could take in its pure, unadulterated scent. It smelled fruity and wild, and soft. As his eyes threatened to close, he asked himself where he smelled that flavor before…

X

 _Harp chords of light struck against the ground like waves breaking upon the shore. The grass was fresh and colored like lavender; the sky above a soft pink, and dotted with pale feather-shaped clouds._

 _Fox heard his name called, and he turned to see the cobalt-furred vixen running towards him. He took Krystal's hand in his own, feeling how soft her fur was against his. When he focused, he was able to make out every individual tuft. He was aware that it was only a dream, though no ordinary dream. Everything about it had a lucid quality, and an alien nature that his mind alone couldn't dream up._

 _Hand-in-hand, the two foxes set off through the purple-hued landscape. Besides some strange-looking plants, the likes of which Fox had never seen before, they came across towering monolithic structures of sparkling white sandstone. Monumental carvings floated dozens of feet in the air, like some prehistoric temples assembled by cave dwellers, only imbued with the power to hover in place. Rubble and smaller shards of rock hung in the air as well, but the two vulpines found a path between them all._

 _They came upon a forest full of blossoming trees. With each gust of wind, flower petals swirled off the branches and pirouetted their way to the ground. Tracing the path ahead, Fox's eyes landed on a third fox clothed in white robes further down the forest. Their back was turned._

 _Fox let go of Krystal's hand and ran on ahead. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he called, "Hello? Can you hear me?"_

 _When the figure didn't turn he raced down the path after them._

" _Hey! Turn around!"_

 _He skidded to a stop behind the other vulpine and placed a hand on their shoulder. He spun them around, but as soon as their face came into view a bright light flashed, and Fox found himself rising hundreds of thousands of feet into the air._

 _He gasped as the violet landscape shrank beneath him, until he could see for miles and miles in either direction. Finally he was in space, and the whole planet was visible. It was a vibrantly-colored disk, bright and filled with blue, pink, and purple hues. Altogether it was like nothing Fox had seen before; it didn't match any known planet in the Lylat System._

 _But the force continued pulling him back. The planet shrank further and further until it was merely a bright speck surrounded by familiar stars. Other planets and asteroids whizzed by until the system's star came into view. Then, in the blink of an eye, every star faded, and he was left in blackness._

Fox's eyes lazily fluttered open. His dreams had been out of this world, and his sleep had been interrupted, but he somehow felt like he'd gotten a perfect night's rest.

Sitting up, he let the covers fall away from his chest and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Glancing beside him, he found the bed empty. Concerned, he scanned the room, but found Krystal sitting in front of the large viewing screen.

Somehow she had managed to retract the LED screen and shutter on her own, once again revealing the brightly-colored nebula. She stared out at the swirling clouds and pulsing lights, much like she had done when Fox found her in the corridor the day before. Only now she seemed more…resolved. It was something about those specific morose colors that entranced her.

Fox shook his head to help wake himself up. He thought back to the insane images from the dream he had; all of them crystal clear and detailed.

Climbing off his bed, he stood by Krystal's side. She had her own bed sheet clutched to her chest, but the hem fell to expose her back and tail, which twitched behind her.

" _Did you see it too?"_ Fox asked.

Krystal looked up at him, pleased that he was awake. She turned her attention back out to space.

" _That beautiful world? Yes."_

Fox nodded in understanding. He joined her in studying the nebula's dance outside their window. They must have fallen asleep with their minds connected, which explained sharing the same dream. But had the planet originated from her mind, or his?

" _It's out there, somewhere,"_ Krystal continued. _"It doesn't say any words, but somehow I feel like it's calling me."_

" _I…feel the same."_ Fox set his teeth. _"We'll find it, Krystal._

 _"We'll find your home."_


	11. Allies-Enemies

X

Mission No. 11

Venom  
Interplanetary Criminal Courthouse

Allies/Enemies

X

"Good morning, General Pepper."

The gold-furred hound dog looked up at Bill. He didn't exactly smile upon seeing the young captain; it was more that his scowling face lightened slightly.

"Morning," he snorted. "You could hardly call it morning. It's always that blasted twilight out there. Except when it's pitch black…But I don't mean to be dour. Please have a seat."

Bill nodded and sat across the table from Pepper. Their booth sat next to a window overlooking the ruins of Andross's central complex. Bill shivered as he looked outside, recalling what it was like having to traverse the wasteland on foot. While Pepper continued slicing his food, the bulldog lost himself for a moment, mentally climbing through the crags and canyons crisscrossing the land. Up here in the courthouse's cafeteria, he felt strangely safe and removed from the dangers outside, as if in the eye of the hurricane, or suspended above the clouds beneath which a storm raged.

Pepper seemed to notice that Bill was distracted, so he switched the setting on the window. The scene changed to the Corneria City skyline, edited to look pristine and unmarred. But, in the same manner it merely covered over the nightmare outside, so too did it hide the actual destruction to their beloved capital.

"Please, I find the view spoils one's appetite. Help yourself."

Bill glanced down at the plate of eggs and hash browns before him. "Oh…thank you."

Pepper wiped his jowls. "I see you're distracted. Ever since the incident two days ago, your mind hasn't been fully on the trials or your guard duties. You have that thousand-yard stare, only it's directed elsewhere. Tell me, this business of McCloud kidnapping the Cerinian has confused you, no?"

Bill merely scraped at his food. "To tell you the truth sir, it has. I just can't see Fox doing something like this. It's not like him at all! Sure he dropped out of the Academy back in the day, but it wasn't out of disdain for Corneria. Fox just needed room to do things his own way."

Pepper smiled. "Please, you don't have to defend Fox's record. The boy served us loyally during the War, and, baring some exceptions, went exactly where I needed him. Nor do I hold it against him that he took payment for his services."

Bill clutched his head in his hands, feeling safe to bare his emotions and weakness to Pepper. "Then why would Fox turn against us all of a sudden? I just can't figure him out." He looked up at Pepper hopefully.

His superior merely shook his head, his ears flapping. "In truth, I was hoping you would have the answer. I've been keeping in close contact with Peppy Hare, and he seems to think it's Fox's emotional state. He distracted himself from the deaths of his parents by throwing himself into his work, and now that he has nothing left to fight, the weight of it all caught up to him. It's…doing funny things to his psyche."

"But…kidnapping one of Andross's experiments?" Bill pressed. "What is he trying to do?"

Pepper rubbed his temples. "I suspect he's grown paranoid. Buying into certain fringe conspiracy theories against Corneria. Perhaps he's committed to sabotaging our reclamation efforts. Like the purists, he's deluded himself into thinking that any scientific progress from Venom is inherently evil and beyond salvaging."

Bill looked down at the cafeteria food. "That sounds reasonable enough. I mean your theory, sir, not that Fox's opposition to the reclamation effort has any merit. This research is vital to the recovery effort." He finally forced himself to scoop up a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"Oh I understood what you meant, don't worry. But we have to face the facts. Regardless of our feelings for Fox, we must put them aside and admit he's gone rogue. Over the past month the McCloud boy has made an utter fool of himself and a laughing stock of the administration he's served. Unfortunately, Corneria can no longer hold Fox up as its shining hero. I've been told Arspace and Phoenix Corp have cut ties with him as well."

"Space Dynamics," Bill corrected.

The hound snorted. "Oh. Yes, well, it's General Dynamics now, isn't it? They merged yesterday. But I'm getting off track."

Pepper looked Bill straight in the eye. "Bill Grey, Lylat needs a new hero. Someone who has the passion to serve his people no matter the cost or the obstacles in his way. Someone who is committed to the reconstruction effort. Someone who is committed to keeping the peace. Someone…who can take Fox's place."

Bill stared back at the general, stunned. It took him awhile to respond, "You mean…me?"

"I didn't call you up here just to eat this sorry excuse for breakfast with me. Though I do appreciate the company."

Bill mouthed 'wow' while staring dumbfounded at the table. Looking back up at Pepper, he smiled excitedly; the boy within him peeking through. "I'll do my best, sir!" Then he withdrew, his ears drooping. "But I've failed you already. I let Fox go when I had the chance."

"Ah yes, the rascal's daring escape. Don't let it weigh too hard on you, boy. I understand Fox forced you to make a decision between your country and your best friend, and perhaps the shock of it all clouded your judgement. All is forgiven."

Bill breathed a sigh of relief; he was worried he might be implicated in Fox's escape, or at the very least demoted. Then he tightened back up when Pepper raised a finger.

"However, I expect you to act without hesitation next time. For your sake and the sake of the System, know where your loyalties lie, and decide what you are willing to sacrifice."

Bill nodded gratefully. "Thank you, sir! It won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't." Pepper went back to finishing the rest of his plate.

Bill did his best to stomach his meal as well, but something kept nagging his mind.

"General…if I may, what's to become of Fox? How serious are his crimes?"

The battle-scarred hound chewed for a moment, then swallowed. "Far more serious than you or likely he even realizes. As you know he abducted one of the Cerinians. Number 28 to be precise. At first it was possible he was only trying to save her from a much more dangerous subject; Number 19. But then Fox outright ran from us when it was safe again. Bill, out of… _his_ experiments, Number 28 was his most powerful and the least tainted. I and many of the General Dynamics scientists believe that she is the key to saving Lylat before it perishes from the wounds left over from the War. Now she is only one of a few Cerinians left. After 19 went on a rampage, the majority of them are unfortunately deceased. Yes, a few are safe, but none as close to maturity as 28 is."

Pepper sighed deeply. "Frankly, Fox is endangering the future of the entire Lylat for his immature whims. I'm putting you in charge of tracking him down and returning the Cerinian safely, at all costs. As for Fox, he will most likely face prison time. It's impossible for me to say how much, but he will _certainly_ go to jail. I've made too many exceptions for him already."

"Oh. I understand…And what about the other girl, number…?"

The canid smiled to himself. "The one you found? 19. We believe she had an encounter with Fox and 28, and as a result lost her psychic abilities. She seems to be docile now and has shown no signs of hostility."

"Then…what's to become of her? She can't possibly be of any use to General Dynamics now."

"Not quite. While possessing no latent powers of her own, 19 appears to be…receptive. She will be used to track down Number 28." Pepper went back to slicing his food, adopting an uncaring tone. "After that, who cares. She is of no more value…" He glanced up at Bill to see his reaction. "I can give her to you if you like. You seem to have a…fascination, shall we say."

Bill's face grew hot. He swallowed. Did Pepper really just offer him that as part of the deal?

Before he could respond with anything, Pepper cut him off. "But we can work out the _details_ later. We have more important things in front of us. I had a conference with Beltino Toad, and he seems to think Fox will make a break for the Cornerian Orbital Gate."

Bill scratched an ear. "That's odd. Why would he go there of all places? He's about as far away from the gate as possible."

Pepper steepled his fingers. "That's…rather confidential, for the time being. If things go wrong we will have to raise your security clearance level, but hopefully you never have to learn why." Pepper gazed out at the artificial Corneria City skyline. "Fox is our objective now. In the long-term we expect him to escape through the Orbital Gate. But, at the moment, he is likely hiding somewhere very close by..."

X

After another delicious breakfast, Fox cleaned the dishes in the kitchen sink. He tried to whistle to entertain himself, but he couldn't shake Chef ROB's cold dead stare from the back of his neck. Once finished he plopped down on the couch. Krystal was nowhere in sight, so he shrugged and reached for the remote.

The holovision erupted in ear-splitting white noise and only showed black-and-white-speckled snow patterns.

"Holy-!" Fox nearly dropped the remote before he could turn the volume all the way down. "ROB!" he called. "What's going on with the HV?"

ROB's voice droned over the ship-wide intercom. _"We are passing through a denser field of ionized space dust. All electromagnetic signals are distorted except for subspace signals."_

Fox wiped his brow. "Oh, right. That's why I hid us here in the first place. Now the question is, do I risk getting caught for some early morning soap operas or die of boredom? I wonder what Krystal's up to…"

ROB's voice came unbidden over the intercom. _"Warning: an unidentified shuttle has landed in the hangar bay."_

Fox's ears shot up. "What! How did it get in?"

 _"They possessed the proper access codes. Long range sensors failed to pick them up because of local ion density. Hangar pressure plates indicate two individuals have dismounted the shuttle."_

"Oh this is just great…how did the Cornerians find me so fast? Unless they're just scrappers..."

Fox leapt from the couch and ran down the hall to Krystal's room. When he poked his head in to warn her, he found the room empty.

"Krystal!?"

He scampered about the room, checking the bathroom, inside the closet; even under her bed.

"ROB, have all your units search for Krystal! And stay clear of the hangar. I don't want any of you getting shot down there."

 _"Roger, Fox."_

Thinking quickly, the vulpine grabbed a pair of underwear from the foot of Krystal's bed. Next he sprinted to his own room and checked the shower. For once he was disappointed that it was empty. He pounded his fist before hurrying back out of his room.

Outside he nearly ran smack into Sanitation ROB.

 _"Fox, besides the intruders, I have picked up movement in storage closet C."_

"Phew, that must be Krystal. Follow me!"

Fox ran down the halls of the Great Fox with ROB trying to keep pace behind him on his adhesive treads. When Fox arrived at the door to storage closet C, he jumped inside and waited for Sanitation ROB to catch up before closing the door behind them.

"Krystal! There you are. You had me worried-"

Fox balked at the scene in front of him. Krystal, along with most of the cardboard boxes, crates, ammo, and food items, was floating lazily in mid air.

"What in the-!" When Fox started to drift off the ground, he instinctively grabbed onto ROB's head unit to keep from floating off. "What's going on here?!"

Krystal, dressed only in the over-sized T-shirt Fox provided for her, merely giggled before being interrupted by a hiccup. Her tail raised the hem of her shirt in back and wagged furiously as she floated about the room. She seemed to be entranced by the levitating food and crates surrounding her, crying with delight as cans of soup spun in infinite circles when she swatted them. Her face possessed a rather dopey expression, and the skin beneath her cheek-fur glowed red.

"ROB!" Fox shouted in his ear, "turn the artificial gravity back on, quick!"

 _"Artificial gravity is on and working properly,"_ ROB's bored voice informed him, trying not to be annoyed by Fox strangling him for dear life.

Fox looked with wide eyes at Krystal. "Then, that means… _you're_ doing this?"

Krystal floated past, clutching a beer can-upside down. She waved at Fox and said, "Hi, Foxsu!" She then hiccuped again before opening the beer can, releasing a spray of yellow foam into the closet.

When Fox realized what happened, his expression darkened. "Oh no. She found Falco's beer stash. Why'd it have to be _now_ of all times?"

He cringed when Krystal slurped up more of the beer discharged from the can, which continued to float and jiggle in mid air.

"Alright, that's enough for you! We're both in danger, so for Pete's sake cooperate!"

Fox positioned himself perpendicular to ROB so that he was parallel to the floor. Crouching on the robot's chest, he pushed off with his legs and sailed through the closet. His aim was superb, and he managed to tackle Krystal out of the air. The vixen cried out in shock, then squealed in delight as the two went sailing through the storage room. She held Fox's hands and they both spread out under centrifugal force, performing a mid-air dance.

"Krystal, stop it! Now's not the time for this!" But Fox's words fell on deaf ears. He tried entering Krystal's mind, but when their thoughts bonded he was treated to a distorted world where everything was textured like jello or syrup. The floor and ceiling melded together, and everything looked bright and blurry. When Fox felt the alcohol begin to turn his own thoughts to molasses, he quickly pulled himself back out.

"Krystal, shh, shhhh! There are bad people that could hear us!"

But try as he might, he couldn't stop her from laughing.

When they struck the far wall and bounced off, Fox used the chance to grab a tighter hold of Krystal. Straddling her torso with his legs so that they didn't drift apart, Fox flipped her upside down. With better access to her legs, he attempted to slip the pair of panties over them, which was difficult because Krystal kept kicking her feet.

"Hold still goddammit!"

Krystal only giggled louder and took it as a challenge. Fox continued to wrestle with her in midair to get the underwear on, but all of his efforts proved futile.

 _"Fox, the situation has changed. I am showing our guests to the storage closet. They are approaching."_

"What!? Why in god's name would you bring them _here!?"_

Before ROB could explain, Fox found himself in a tug-of-war as Krystal grabbed the panties with one of her feet. Fox managed to wrench them free, but the article sailed through the air towards the door.

Fox's blood ran cold when he heard the hydraulics hiss, and he saw none other than Peppy's figure standing on the other side of the hatch.

"Just what in tarnation's going-!"

Words failed Peppy as the pair of panties slowly drifted past his face. When the underwear eclipse passed, Fox was greeted with Peppy's bewildered expression. His jaw was frozen open as he stared at the tod grappling with a half-naked vixen in zero-G.

X

Outside the storage closet, Peppy berated Fox, whose feet were back on solid ground. Slippy watched from further down the hallway, but he didn't dare say hi to Fox while Peppy gave him his usual working-over.

"Honestly Fox, I have never been so disappointed in you!" Peppy's ears were pointed ramrod straight. His arms were crossed defiantly and he leaned back so that he appeared to be looking down at Fox past his nose, though in reality he was several inches shorter. "I can't believe you would take advantage of an innocent girl like this! First you get her drunk, and then you forcefully tear the clothes off her!"

Fox clasped his hands and pleaded to Peppy with an anguished expression. "Please Unk, you have to believe me! I was trying to put clothes _on_ her! She has no conception of modesty or other cultural- would you stop looking at me like that!? It's the truth!"

" _Really,_ Fox? Trying to put clothes _back_ on her? How gullible do you think I am? Just because I'm older doesn't mean I'm an idiot."

"Peppy, _please!_ Krystal was basically raised in a lab-"

Peppy held up a paw. "Now-now, enough of that nonsense. What a load of horse feathers. I'll just go in there and help her get dressed myself."

The rabbit rolled up his sleeves and snatched the pair of underwear Fox was wringing nervously in his hands.

"Uh, Peppy, do you really think you should go in there by yourself? She's basically naked, you know."

The hare glared at Fox. "I've been a happily married man with a daughter of my own, Fox. _You_ have shown yourself to be a hormonal young teenager who can't be trusted to keep it in his pants. I think the choice is obvious."

Peppy cracked his knuckles and marched into the storage room, the very image of determination. Fox called in after him, "Good luck; you'll need it!" but Peppy closed the door in his face.

Slippy timidly joined Fox to wait outside the door. "I hope he knows what he's doing."

A noisy raucous ensued, punctuated by crashing crates, horrendous weights thumping against the walls, and the hare's stifled yelps. After a few seconds of relative silence, the door opened and Peppy marched back out.

"Did you manage to…" but Fox trailed off when he saw the pair of panties stuck over Peppy's head, one floppy ear poking through a leghole.

"I told you Peppy, she's a free sp-"

"Don't. Say. Another. Word."

X

Slippy seemed to have the magic approach. In all of Fox's life, he was the only person he knew who could have girls put their underwear back _on_ faster than anyone else in the System. Whatever it was, he emerged from the storage closet with Krystal at least passably decent.

Peppy still didn't trust Fox, but once he confirmed with ROB that Fox had behaved himself as good as could be expected around Krystal, he apologized.

A few minutes later found Fox, Peppy, and Slippy in the living room like good old times, while Krystal sat in the kitchen snacking on pretzels. Each of the Starfox members sat on one of the three couches, a coffee table between them. Slippy kept stealing glances at Krystal, who smiled back whenever she noticed. Slippy would turn away sheepishly.

"Man, you guys freaked me out when you showed up out of nowhere. I thought you were the police or pirates or something. Why didn't you warn me?"

"We tried to," Peppy answered, "but the Sector as good as jammed our radio communication."

"Better question, how did you even find me in the first place?"

Peppy leaned back on the couch. "I'll let Slippy answer that."

Fox slowly turned to face Slippy. He studied him with a disappointed look, and the amphibian began to squirm.

"Slip, you didn't."

"I'm sorry, Fox!" he blurted out. "It was better that we found you instead of the Cornerians!"

Fox sighed. "You traced my subspace link, didn't you?"

Slippy paused before nodding.

"It was for your own good, Fox," Peppy explained.

"I'm just about getting sick of people telling me that," Fox huffed beneath his breath.

"I had Slippy trace your location so that I could help get you out of trouble. Pepper _personally_ called me and explained that you had kidnapped a research subject. Fox, only a few days ago, I literally swore to Pepper I'd make sure you didn't get into any more trouble. And then you pull a stunt like this? Your biggest criminal caper yet? Oh boy, are you in a jam. I'm sorry Fox, I can't save your hide this time. You're going to the hoosegow, as simple as that. But I can help you get the lightest sentence the government can afford. All I ask is that you return Space Dynamic's – huff, _General_ Dynamic's property to them as soon as possible, and get your ass ready for years of community service."

"Can't you hear how messed up that sounds?" Fox shot back. "How can a _Lylatian_ be someone else's property?"

"That girl isn't even Lylatian! She has no parents or family, and as a former research subject of Venom, she is now in the care of General Dynamics. They know what's best for her, Fox! What if she needs certain injections or a drug to stay alive? What if she has par-tic-u-lar-ly violent spells where she has to be contained?"

"What if she's a link to my mom?" Fox answered in a flat voice.

Peppy fell silent.

"Fox, I warned you about keeping your nose out of places it doesn't belong."

"But she knows my mom, Peppy!" the vulpine continued, growing excited. "I've _seen_ her memories! She helped Krystal years ago, when she was just a child! It raises even more questions, like why was my mother researching alongside Andross, and what does Krystal have to do with it all? Don't you understand, she's our only link! Don't you want answers about Vivian?"

"Fox!" Peppy nearly shouted, "don't you dare bring her into this!"

"I don't care! Like it or not, she's involved. I don't know about you, but _I_ want answers!"

"I don't _need_ any answers, Fox. I have enough to satisfy me. And if you knew what was best for you, you'd be satisfied with them too!"

"Goddamn, there you go again! Unlike you, I'm not going to roll over and play dead here." Fox held his head in his hands, cursing himself for getting into another shouting match with his uncle.

"Look, Peppy, I'm sorry, but you have to understand where I'm coming from. What I did down there on Venom; that one little act of kindness was better and more worthwhile than _anything_ I've done during the entire Lylat War. All I knew how to do was kill, Peppy. I shot down ship after ship. I put horrible bioweapons out of their misery, and I avenged my parents by killing you-know-who. I hardly ever saved a life without taking one first in order to do so. But it doesn't change the past, Unk. Killing couldn't bring my mother back. It didn't bring my father back. It didn't save all those Lylatians who needlessly died in the War. Don't you see, Peppy? I laid my _life_ down for her! Not for the memory of dead parents who I'd never be able to see again. I did something with my own hands, for someone who I can reach out to and touch."

He turned to look at Krystal. "If there's anyone I can help, it's her. She doesn't belong in a lab. I'm convinced her home is out there somewhere, and I'm going to make sure she gets there."

Fox's impassioned rant seemed to get to Peppy on an emotional level. He wrung his paws and stared at the floor, trying to think up some way of arguing with Fox.

"Oh, alright. You've got me. She can stay. But only as long as it takes to get her back to Cerinia."

Fox's ears poked up. "Cerinia?"

"You heard me, son. That's the name of her home planet."

Fox looked at Slippy excitedly. "Then you found everything? It was in the data I sent you?"

Slippy lit up as well, glad to be of service to his team leader once again. "Yes! It turns out, she and many others like her are from the planet known as Cerinia b. It orbits a star about 10 light years away; the brightest star of the Ceryneian constellation."

"So she _isn't_ from this world," Fox breathed as he looked at Krystal, seeing her in a new light.

Slippy was awestruck as well. "Reading about it from the research files was one thing, but actually _seeing_ a Cerinian up close? Wow. Just…wow."

"I guess Andross wanted her and the other Cerinians for their psychic powers, huh?" Fox asked. "That would explain more than one crazy obstacle he threw at us on Venom."

"It goes deeper than that," Peppy began, his voice wavering. He sounded unsure of how much he wanted to reveal.

"What do you mean?"

The hare swallowed, building up the resolve to continue. "Those files you sent Slippy only explain so much. The real reason Andross was interested in the Cerinians was because of their virtually unlimited energy potential. Ever wonder how Andross powered all the Bolse satellites?"

Slippy glanced at Krystal. "You don't mean…?"

Peppy nodded. "Yep. Cerinians were the core. The first two were unstable. I explained this to Fox before, Slippy, but Bolse-Z and Bolse-Y underwent core meltdowns while Andross, under Cornerian orders, was working on them. Bolse-Z was distant enough that the government passed if off as a large-scale space battle, which explained the loss of Cornerian troops serving on the satellite, but Bolse-Y was too close to home. It was in that meltdown that Vixy, Fox's mom, and Vivian, my wife, both died. Corneria revealed Andross's involvement and rightfully exiled the maniac. He was responsible for pushing the Cerinians in the cores to their breaking point, which resulted in the loss of thousands of lives.

"I didn't learn this until after the War, but I had my suspicions; Sector X was also the result of a satellite's destruction. Andross built a successful satellite, Bolse-X, in that vicinity, but he put all his eggs in one basket. He made the mistake of constructing a secret weapon there, a mecha by the name of Spyborg, who ended up destroying Bolse-X. Yes, we flew through its rubble on the way to Venom. Finally, Andross built and successfully maintained a Bolse satellite in orbit around Venom…"

"…Until we came along," Fox said, his head falling into his hands. "When-when I destroyed the core, I had no idea! I-I didn't know I was killing a-"

But Peppy shushed him. "It's okay Fox, you didn't know. Sometimes sacrifices must be made. It was the only way to attack Venom. You didn't kill that Cerinian. _Andross_ did."

Fox rubbed the tears from his eyes and clenched his hands in front of his mouth. "Um, does that, does that mean Krystal would end up as the core to one of those satellites, too?"

The hare nodded solemnly. "I'm certain if we had not defeated Andross, she would have, Fox. But now that a Cornerian company is in charge once again, I highly doubt the Cerinians will ever be put to such cruel use in the future. Especially with their previous track record, it's not something they'd be willing to do going forward. It's not ethical, nor, as past attempts have shown, is it practical."

Fox whistled. "That's a relief, I guess."

When the silence dragged on for too long, Peppy lost his patience. He shot to his feet.

"Well, what are we waiting for!?"

"What do you mean?" Fox asked in surprise.

"We're going to take Krystal back to Cerinia, of course! What do you think I am? Some hard-ass, heartless old man? I know what the meaning of love is. I have a daughter like Krystal, and I'll be damned if I let the poor girl rot in some stuffy laboratory."

"That's the Peppy I know!" Slippy cried.

"What's the plan, uncle?"

Peppy sat back down and steepled his fingers. "Well, first off, we're going to need our full force before we make a move."

Fox's eyebrows lifted. "You mean Falco? Any idea where he is?"

The hare nodded. "Undoubtedly, up to no good…"


	12. No Going Back

X

Mission No. 12

Beltino Orbital Gate  
Military/Commercial Spaceport

No Going Back

X

Bill drummed his fingers on the armrest of his cockpit. Not only was he cooped up in the cramped compartment, but the fighter itself was hidden in a half-open shipping container. Between the two metal flaps that partly sealed him in, he could see a wide swathe of the Beltino Orbital Gate. The main body resembled two halves of a bagel with a large bite taken out, which did nothing to abate the canine's ravenous stomach. About a dozen queues were formed on the opposite side of the base. They stretched a few kilometers out, and were packed with numerous vessels of all shapes and functions. Once the ships reached the Gate they were given a quick security check and charged a service fee before they were allowed use of the gates proper. Every few seconds the concentric rings rotating in the 'donut-hole' of the base would fire a new stream of energy through the missing chunk. The beam then struck one of several detached 'Zephyr' rings that opened portals leading to elsewhere in the Lylat.

Bill had all the specific details displayed on his HUD. Gates 1-12 were laid out before him, each with information on the destination, type of vessel, passenger identities, and cargo being shipped.

The canid's eyes flicked absently between each gate file. Delicacies and expensive food to Zoness. Raw materials and construction personnel to Solar. Soldiers transferred to Macbeth. Rich elites on luxuriant trips to Aquas. Over time he channeled the green text out in favor of scanning the occupant's faces.

With not much else to do, Bill's mind drifted to the baffling questions still plaguing him.

What had gotten into Fox's head? Why would he kidnap a former Venomian research subject?

Faces flashed before him; too many to count. Among them were a mink, an opossum, a magpie…

Why did he have to take the Gate? Where did he plan on going that he couldn't have just flown there straight from Venom?

The photos continued pouring in. A hawk, an ocelot, a mallard, an eagle…

Finally, why would Pepper keep it a secret from him, a captain?

…a leopard, an iguana, an ermine…

All of this thinking only lead his head around in circles, exacerbated by the never ending roster of faces he glanced over. It was all so nonsensical and meaningless. He just wished something would happen already.

"Hey, I might have something," Bill's wingmate, Miyu Lynx, spoke over the intercom. The feline snorted. "You're not going to believe this, but security just found someone trying to smuggle _16 scorpions_ to Titania in the pockets of their cargo shorts."

Another female voice burst out laughing, causing Bill to finally pay attention. It was his other wingmate, Fay Spaniel. When her laughs subsided she said, "You can't make this shit up, can you?"

"I swear, if the control bridge patches me into one more case of petty smuggling or a fake bomb threat, I might go AWOL right then and there."

"You're looking at this the wrong way," Fay chided her. "Be thankful we're not on Venom anymore."

Miyu sighed. "Well, guess you're right. Anything beats that hellhole. If you asked me, I woulda said hang the sons of bitches and be done with them months ago. But nooo, we have to give them a trial with months of legal proceedings. I say it's too good for them. Everyone knows they're gonna be executed anyway."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Fay said in a quiet voice.

"At least we knew what we were doing there," Miyu continued without hearing her. "Now we're supposed to be watching for McCloud? Who went _rogue?_ I don't buy it. And why would he use the gate anyway? It would be faster to travel literally anywhere else in the System than to fly all the way back to Corneria and _then_ make the gate jump. I feel like we're chasin' grid squares."

Bill finally cut in. "That's enough Miyu. You know our orders. You've been briefed with exactly the amount of information we need to carry them out. No more, no less. Now stay frosty." The words were just as much for himself as they were to pacify his subordinates.

"Yes sir," Miyu replied. "Just a little antsy being cooped up in these crates."

"I feel ya," Bill returned. "I just wish something would happen…"

X

Peppy tensed when he spotted a surveillance drone scouring the shipping lane. As it passed the shuttle, he pulled a red baseball cap down over his eyes, making sure he wasn't recognized.

"How's it goin' back there, Slip?" he called from the cockpit.

"Everything's almost ready," the frog answered.

The two teammates were travelling incognito in the shuttle they boarded the Great Fox with. At the moment they hovered in a long line of ships waiting to be processed for gate travel. To Peppy's right and left he saw similar lines of vessels waiting to go through security. If they had flown their Arwings instead, they would've been a dead giveaway, which was why Peppy had given up wearing his regular uniform for once and instead donned civilian clothes.

Slippy sat in the shuttle's main compartment, surrounded by a makeshift computer setup. A small block fort of computer towers rose up to his knees, and wires seemed to sprawl everywhere, threatening to strangle the amphibian if he made one wrong move. Peppy couldn't decipher the setup to save his life, but at least the frog seemed at home hopping between different monitors and security windows.

He wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. "Phew! I now have operational control of gate 12. Fox can set things in motion whenever he's ready."

Peppy chuckled, loosening up and gripping the control stick casually. "Ha, yer pop's security is pretty weak, isn't it?"

Slippy grumbled. "It's easier for me to break into the BOG _because_ he's my dad. If I didn't work with my own father on a daily basis this whole plan would've been doomed from the start."

The hare smiled. "I'm only teasin' ya Slip. I really appreciate yer hard work. Now I'll give the go-ahead to Fox…"

X

Momentarily the voice of Fox's godfather came through the intercom. "This is Peppy. We are go!"

"Whooo…" Fox released a pent-up breath, trying to calm his shot nerves. He hadn't felt this nervous going into a mission since they first entered Corneria City at the start of the War.

Looking out the windscreen, he saw the slowly rotating mass of 144 Troy, a Near Corneria Object that passed the planet every year and a half. They were travelling in its wake so as to take the Beltino Orbital Gate by surprise. Any other object travelling at the speed necessary to reach the gate would immediately be subject to suspicion.

" _Where are we going again? It's hard for me to understand all of this."_

Fox glanced at the cerulean vixen by his side. Her wide eyes kept jumping around the totally alien scene before her.

" _The planet you came from is several light years away. It isn't in the Lylat System at all. The only way to get there in a reasonable amount of time is to take the gate. It opens a sort of_ … _doorway across the galaxy."_

 _"But how is that possible?"_

" _Well, it works like this…"_ Fox tried explaining fourth-dimensional travel to Krystal with the usual visualization; he summoned an image of a folded sheet of paper and two points, but then realized he didn't exactly grasp the concept himself, so he gave it up. Krystal didn't mind too much, though she seemed amused at his failure.

" _What's that?"_

In her eyes reflected the blue and white jewel of the planet below them.

" _That? That's where I live. It's called Corneria. You saw a recording of what it looked like a few nights ago."_

" _So…your home?"_

Fox smiled, thinking about it.

" _Yes, my home. At least it used to be…"_

" _Wow. It's beautiful! I hope Cerinia is just like it."_

"I hope they're as different as possible," Fox mumbled. Then before Krystal could inquire about the statement's meaning he switched on the intercom.

"This is Fox. Let's rock and roll."

X

Bill's floppy ears perked after his headset crackled.

"-tention unidentified spacecraft, this is the Beltino Orbital Gate, you are exceeding the local speed limit and are on a direct collision course with the gate body. Decrease your speed and identify yourself."

The captain's pulse raced. He'd just been patched into a communication between Gate Control and an approaching spacecraft.

The flight controller's voice sounded more urgent this time. "Repeat! Unidentified spacecraft, you are approaching too fast! Identify yourself or we will be forced to intercept; possibly with lethal force!"

The canine glanced down at the HUD which quickly filled up with sensory information. A 3D map of the approaching craft materialized, followed by more data once it had been identified.

Fox's Arwing! The yellow wing tips gave it away.

"He's here!" Bill blurted out over the comms. "On my lead!"

The shipping container's doors flung the rest of the way open, and Bill's fighter burst from within. It was the first time since the War that he'd flown it in a combat capacity, and the first time he'd flown it as a captain. The Cornerian Fighter's needle-thin wings shone with a fresh coat of green paint and glossy wax, newly emblazoned with a captain's insignia.

Bulldog unit was right behind him; in a similar fashion they boosted from their hiding places and formed up behind Bill. The communications channel was crowded with cheers.

"Heads-up; target at two o'clock!" Fay informed him.

Bill's eyes scoured the distance until he found it. The speeding white and blue Arwing glistened in the sunlight to a blinding extent. The rays danced off at a gradually curving angle while it made a beeline for the gate.

"After him! Prepare to intercept!"

X

Peppy's eyes went wide when he saw the squad of ships approaching.

"Great lakes o' fire!"

As fast as his paws could move he switched on the microphone and yelled, " _They're after you son!_ "

X

As Bill closed in on his target, the Arwing seemed to notice him and adjusted accordingly. If it wasn't before, it certainly was flying at max speed now. While the joint Space Dynamics and Phoenix Corp-built ship was ultimately faster than his own model of Cornerian Fighter, Bill and his squad were closer to the Gate, which afforded them a slim chance of intercepting.

Fox's Arwing sped towards gate 12; the farthest to the right of the arc of gates. It looked like he was going to barely squeeze in behind a shipping freighter pulling a long line of cargo containers. The last one was still making its way through the green disk of energy. From his angle Bill couldn't see through the portal, so he checked his HUD.

"Where are you headed…" he murmured, glancing down to find the destination of gate 12.

…Titania? But why-?

It didn't matter. Bill's one job was to see that Fox didn't make it to the gate - no matter where it lead.

With this in mind, he pulled ahead of his unit and fired a wall of plasma bolts in Fox's path. The Arwing was forced to pull off…but just as effortlessly angled back on course again.

For everything Bill had tried, it looked like Fox would pass through the gate.

Then his conversation with General Pepper resurfaced in his mind.

" _Act without hesitation next time. For your sake and the sake of the System, know where your loyalties lie_ …

 _"_ … _and decide what you are willing to sacrifice."_

With newfound resolve he ordered, "Gate Control, this is Captain Bill Grey. Close gate number 12."

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the response came.

"This is Gate Control. I'm afraid that's against all regulations, sir. There's still a vehicle passing through the Zephyr-"

"I don't care! I am acting with the direct authority of General Pepper himself. Now _close that gate!_ "

"Yes sir! S-sorry sir!"

Only a second before Fox reached gate 12, the boundary of the green circle collapsed in on itself till it was just a single point, then dissipated. The shipping container halfway through the gate was cleanly sawed in half. It began to drift aimlessly while spilling its contents through the gaping hole in the car, while the rest of the freighter was safely transported to Titania.

Fox's Arwing pulled off even before it reached the deactivated gate. Bill's men encircled the perpetrator from every angle until he had nowhere to go.

"You will close all other gates as well," Bill ordered.

"Roger!"

But the Arwing made its move before they could close the net. It darted through a gap in Bulldog Unit to the one place it could find cover; back from where it came.

"Dammit!"

In a flash Bill rotated his fighter and followed the rogue merc to the orbital gate proper; its torus-shaped body. The ship flew into the narrow space between the separate halves of the gate, expertly wove between the separate lanes of shipping traffic, and crashed through entrance and exit gates with little resistance. It was all Bill could do to keep up; each new maneuver took him by surprise and nearly threw him off course, but the canid was no rookie pilot, and he managed to keep pace. Effectively it became a game of cat-and-mouse, with the bulldog's troops waiting in strategic locations to pounce, but Fox always seemed to anticipate their ploys and slip through their fingers on a dime.

"Ugh, I had him in my sights but couldn't fire!" Fay exclaimed. "Too many civilian vessels around."

"That coward son-of-a-bitch certainly knows what he's doing," Miyu noted.

"Don't fire live shots!" Bill warned his team. "Shoot ion blasts if you're equipped with them."

"Yes sir!"

They unleashed their projectiles on the perpetrator whenever they had a clear line of fire. Yet every singly time their bolts seemed to miss, either sailing out into space or striking an innocent cargo transport or part of the gate's structure, leaving it deactivated.

It was utterly infuriating; the ease with which Fox outmaneuvered and made fools of him and his men. So many of his decisions were daring, ingenious, but also uncharacteristically cocky of the vulpine, as if he enjoyed flaunting it in Bill's face. The canine reached back several years ago to when he had flown practice missions against Fox, but none of the strategies or even little peculiarities he'd memorized seemed to hold true with the tod now. It was like he was someone else altogether.

Not that it mattered; Fox couldn't run forever. As long as he stayed around the gate he could outmaneuver them, but as soon as he left cover and tried to make a getaway he would run into one of the soldiers stationed a short distance from the gate. Either that, or he'd finally slip up and crash or fail to avoid an ion bolt.

Finally it was too much for Fox, and the Arwing made a break for it. With all the speed it could muster, it left the intricate confines of the gate for open space, hoping to slip away into the void…but Bill's men were ready for him. The ships posted around the station all converged in front of him, while Bill and the units chasing him came up from behind. When the Cornerian Fighters charged their guns with ionized energy, the Arwing had to admit defeat. It powered off its engines and came to a stop, hovering in place.

Bill slowly approached, hailing the vehicle.

"Give it up Fox, there's nowhere to run. You've been behaving like a regular scoundrel, and I've reached the end of my patience. Surrender now and land your Arwing in the processing hangar."

No response came from the eerily still ship.

"Fox…" Bill growled.

"New comm, who dis?"

The canid balked at the sound of the voice.

"F…Falco?!"

The avian yawned. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that. Got drunk last night and must've accidentally taken Fox's Arwing for a spin, ha-ha. Should've known from the stacks of Playtod and the dedicated wastebasket for hairballs…yuck…"

"Then where…?"

"Captain Grey, another ship is approaching from quadrant 6! It's a big one; looks like a dreadnought class!"

Bill flipped his ship around to get a better angle.

As the gate control operator had said, a large military vessel was rocketing towards the gate. It looked to have snuck in behind a fast-travelling asteroid while they were preoccupied with Falco's little diversion.

"Oh this is so CATFU'ed," Miyu spat.

Bill's world collapsed around him in an instant. His pride at having captured Fox vanished. It was all just a wild goose-chase to get him and his men away from the gate, and Bill had taken the bait; hook, line, and sinker.

"Form up!" Bill shouted, though his voice wavered. _"Intercept that dreadnought!"_

But in their haste to stop the real threat, no one noticed Falco slipping away for the last time…

X

"Hang on!" Fox shouted to Krystal, who was seated in the co-pilot's chair beside him. While Fox pulled off from the asteroid's tail, the Great Fox increasingly picked up speed. Soon it was barreling like a meteor for the orbital gate. In response, the vixen strapped herself into the seat and held onto the sides, her knuckles turning white.

While Falco had succeeded in drawing Bill and Bulldog Unit away from the gate, it looked like he had left Husky Unit behind to perform security checks. By now they were scrambling to get aboard their ships and take off after him, but he'd be damned if he let some puny gnats stop his father's behemoth of a battleship.

 _"Engines are overheating!"_ Navigation ROB warned.

"Calculated risk ROB! Keep them at full output," Fox ordered. It was now a game of chicken between him and the gate guards.

When he got closer to the orbital gate, Husky Unit swarmed around him. Blue ionized bolts of energy struck the Great Fox in quick succession. One by one, parts of the ship became paralyzed as the ions frazzled its circuits. Fox found it increasingly difficult to steer the ship, and for a moment the Great Fox careened out of control. It slammed down on top of the gate's hull, causing both he and Krystal to cry out and jerk forward in their seats.

"Sorry about that!"

The battleship slid across the gate's shell, emitting a tail-curling screech through the Great Fox's frame. When the ship began to rotate from the friction, Fox manually turned off several of the engines on the left side until they swung back on course.

Ahead of them lay the edge of the BOG's right flank, and beyond that the empty space where gate 12 was scheduled to open.

Fox raised the microphone to his muzzle and cried, "Now Slippy!"

X

"Got it!"

In the cargo compartment of Peppy's rented shuttle, Slippy typed away. He entered the exact galactic coordinates for the foxes' destination, calculated to account for Corneria's and the alien planets' rotations about the galactic center and their home stars.

After overriding the security clearance for their destination, Slippy started the sequence to open the gate.

X

Fox released a sigh of relief when he saw the Zephyr ring forming ahead of them. Six individual pieces expanded and fired arcs of green energy to each other, inside of which grew the portal. At first it looked like a solid wall of emerald energy, but then it rippled like a drop of water struck its surface and became completely transparent, revealing a circular slice of stars that didn't match any of the background behind it.

Even from this distance, Fox tried to squint and catch a glimpse of the mystery planet's surface, but it was beneath the lip of the gate and not visible from his current angle.

" _Is that the gate?"_ Krystal asked, _"the door to my homeworld?"_

" _Right you are! It's exactly where we're headed, and the one place everyone is trying to keep us from!"_

The Great Fox finally reached the edge of the orbital gate, dropping a few dozen feet in the process, but Fox quickly righted it. He had to fly the ship at an awkward angle because some of the engines had been paralyzed by Husky Unit.

"Almost there-!"

Fox's eyes widened when he saw a military transport shuttle come to a stop between them and the gate.

"Ohhh, now's not the time for spontaneous acts of heroism, damn you!"

Fox patched himself into the Cornerian pilot. "Move it you idiot! I don't brake for enlisted men!"

"Pull off now!" the pilot's defiant voice crackled back.

"Ugh…"

Fox glanced at the rearview monitors and grimaced when he saw both Husky and Bulldog units converging on his tail. If he knew Bill, he wouldn't hesitate to have the gate or even Fox's prized mothership destroyed if it would bring him to justice.

Impulsively he fired up the Great Fox's lasers.

"I'm warning you, GET. OUT. OF. MY. WAY!"

But the stubborn ship refused to budge.

More bolts struck the rear of Fox's vessel, but he couldn't tell if they were live projectiles or merely disruptive bolts. Panic set in while the Great Fox barreled closer to the lone transport ship and the gate behind it.

Barely able to make up his mind, Fox closed his eyes and fired.

When he reopened them, he saw the rear of the transport had splintered into a thousand glowing pieces while sparks and debris scattered in all directions. The front of the ship was mostly unharmed, except for the black coat of soot and a horribly cracked viewscreen. Fox gasped when he saw what had become of the cockpit, immediately worried that he might've killed the pilot and any of the crew with him.

Guilt and remorse brought all of his anxiety back. Every contrary thought that whispered he might be doing something wrong, that he was hurting the very people he loved; everything came back to him like a tidal wave. Their combined force threatened to drown him right then and there. Even his last conversation with Peppy rang in his ears:

" _How do you know there's another gate on the other side? How do you know you'll be able to come back home?"_

" _I don't. I just know there's no going back…"_

Beside him, Krystal let go of her seat. She raised her arms in the air, letting the Great Fox swing her freely around as if she were on a roller coaster. It was something about the scattered pieces of the Cornerian transport whizzing past them; something about beating the odds and evading two entire squadrons chasing them; even flying through space at hundreds of miles an hour that lifted her spirits and completely thrilled her. But it was also knowing and accepting that whatever happened was out of her own control, and that there was no use fighting it. Wherever Fox was going, she would follow and let what happened, happen.

All of this Fox felt emanating through their shared connection, and it filled him with courage. Her giggling and shocked cries from each jolt were contagious. The urge became too strong; Krystal raised her fists in the air before crying, "WOOOO!"

And together, they disappeared through the gate into the unknown.

X

Bill couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. He couldn't come to grips with the fact that Fox had shot down a Cornerian vessel. For a moment he stopped and asked himself, what universe was he living in?

Then the gate's radius began to shrink, sealing Fox's escape. Bill's heart picked up again when he realized it was his last chance to capture Fox. He gunned his engines and raced forwards, _willing_ his ship to go faster than seemed possible.

The gate was now barely larger than a shuttle, and Bill knew by the time he reached it his wings might be sawn clear off. The green glow became brighter and brighter, and Bill closed his eyes a few seconds before reaching it.

His ship shook.

Opening his eyes again, he looked around.

His heart sank. Surrounding him was the same disappointing field of stars, the same familiar planet below, and the same orbital gate behind.

He had lost them.

Before the chance faded, he looked down at his HUD and checked gate 12's destination. The coordinates had been entered manually, but it matched one of the less common destinations on the gate's list:

Cerinia.

Clenching his fist, he glared out at the stars and searched them.

"You won't get away with this, Fox. I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're not getting a free pass. I'll make you pay for what you did here, on this day. I'll pursue you to the ends of the galaxy if I have too.

"Mark…my…words."

X

MISSION COMPLETE

X

 _Authors Notes:_

 _And with that, the first act is done!_

 _Sorry this took longer to get out than usual, I was so proud of keeping up a weekly schedule. Unfortunately I'll be taking a break to plot out some more of the next act before I start in on it, so it may be awhile before you see anything new posted for this story. See you then!_


	13. Arrival

X

Mission No. 13

The Lilith System  
Second Planet from the Sun

Arrival

X

In the far reaches of alien space, light years away from any known inhabited system, the Great Fox gently cruised along. In front of it loomed a blue-grey sphere of a planet, though the facing side was cloaked in shadow. Not content with the night hemisphere, the Great Fox drifted along the equator and headed east towards the rising sun.

In a few moments the star of the alien system crowned the celestial sphere with an angelic halo. The pale jewel crested the horizon, shooting beams of light in four cardinal directions. Taking this as a signal, the dreadnought nosed into the atmosphere. It made for the slice of twilight caught between the opposing tides of day and night.

Once it entered atmos the Great Fox leveled out, and the bottom hangar opened to emit a lone arwing. It spun once before blasting off towards the surface.

During their descent the ground was obscured by a thick layer of clouds; the occupants couldn't make out what lay beneath. It was a mystery until they broke through a few minutes later, but even then the landscape was obscured in shadows, like a magician keeping his cloak pulled over the crux of his act until just the right moment.

The arwing slowed to hover above a hill overlooking the expanse. Its landing gear extended before it settled atop the mound. With a hiss the canopy popped open, allowing two vulpine figures to climb out.

"Phew! Sorry about riding in Falco's arwing," Fox waved a hand in front of his nose. "He's not exactly the cleanliest of avians. I thought I was going to drown in stale potato chip crumbs. You'd think the odor would get to him eventually, but I guess it's true what they say about birds and smell."

 _"It's fine, I've had to smell worse."_

Fox plopped to the ground first, his knees bending under him to cushion the fall. He reached back up for Krystal's hand, guiding her as she slid off the wing. She emitted a quiet grunt before straightening and dusting herself off. Together they stepped onto the short precipice to get a better look at the valley below. They peered into the shadows, feeling the curiosity and anticipation building in one another. But there was also…fear.

" _Is this my home?"_ Krystal thought with wide eyes.

Fox shrugged. "I dunno. I was hoping you would tell me."

At that moment the clouds began to brighten. They glowed with a silvery blue light until the layer above them parted, raining sunbeams down on the lands below. They illuminated all of the countryside, revealing-

Fox gasped.

There were modern buildings, rusted vehicles, barren parking lots. All of them eaten away by time and smashed to rubble. This was no paleolithic quarry or rock-strewn field.

It was the remains of an urban city.

Fox took a few steps towards the edge and fell to his knees. His abrupt collapse sent a shower of gravel and pebbles over the brink. He was so taken aback by the utter destruction laying before him that he was at a loss for words.

 _"Fox, what's wrong? What kind of land is this? Where is everyone?"_

He shook his head sullenly. "This is a city," he whispered. "At least it used to be. Looks like it was destroyed some time ago. There's barely a building or home left standing. The people that used to live here are long gone." He felt a tear slipping from his eye and wiped it away. The image of urban desolation before him brought back a painful well of memories still fresh in his mind.

"I, I don't know what I expected. Perhaps I was hoping for unspoiled wilderness or an old-fashioned rural society - heck, even a pristine city like Corneria. It just _hurts_ seeing that even outside the Lylat System there's no planet that hasn't been touched by war. I'm sorry, Krystal. I guess I wanted a new home for myself as well." He sniffed, fighting back tears. "Regardless, this is where you're from. Does _any_ of it look familiar?"

He turned and searched Krystal's face, hoping to see a sign of recognition on her brow, but he found only confusion written there.

It was just as strange and alien to the vixen as it was to him.

X

Arc II: Cerinia, The Forbidden Planet

X

Krystal sat on the edge of the ship's wing, kicking her legs to and fro while anxiously scanning the distance. Fox was bent over a large backpack, double-checking their supplies before setting out. His ear perked when he heard Krystal absently humming the lullaby tune again, but he did his best to focus on the task at hand.

"Let's see. Condensed food? Check. Laser pistol? Check. First aid? Check. Medicine? Che-" He caught himself. He'd forgotten his meds again! Ugh! Why did he keep doing this to himself? It had been several days since his last dose and he worried that he might suddenly become neurotic without them. Secluded at home that wouldn't be an issue, but now that he had someone like Krystal in his charge...

He lay a palm upon his brow. Strange; he didn't have a migraine yet.

"What's wrong?" Krystal said in a Venomian accent. "You lost something?"

"Yeah," he sighed, "My medication. I've been having awful headaches and mood swings ever since I defeated Andross. The meds keep them at bay, but I forgot to bring them again."

"Aw, I'm sorry," she crooned. "I wish you'd tell me when your head hurt."

"Well, I would have. It's just that it never hurt since you've been...with me. Huh." Fox looked up from the bag, wondering if he'd stumbled on some revelation. "At least I haven't noticed it since passing through the gate..."

Realizing he'd get a migraine anyway just thinking about it, he went back to checking their supplies. "One long distance radio set."

Out of curiosity he turned it on and listened to the static. He laughed to himself, realizing how futile it was.

"What are you doing?" Krystal asked while cocking her head.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just testing out the high-powered radio. Remember what we used to talk to Peppy and Slippy? This works the same way. But it's also capable of picking up broadcasts from other sources too. It's just ridiculous to think it might receive something from Corneria. The gate's closed anyway, and even if it was open it would only allow a small fraction of radio waves to get in through that tiny window. The only thing we're likely to hear is-"

Suddenly a female voice sang through the unit, but only lasted an instant before Fox accidentally scanned past it.

Krystal's ears straightened. "Who was that?!"

Fox's eyes widened. Carefully he turned the dial back until the unit automatically locked in on the frequency.

Sure enough, it was a woman's voice. She was singing a dance hit from more than a decade ago. The electronic instruments were outdated, the beat was oversensual, and the singer's voice was light and airy in a rather campy way. Genuine, old, garbage.

And Fox adored every second of it.

"It's an old song from _years_ ago; I wasn't even ten yet. Used to hear this all the time in the car when my mom would drive me to daycare."

"Wow…so this woman has been singing it forever?"

Fox laughed. "Well, not that long." Fox picked up a loose, jagged rock. "Imagine the song is recorded in this rock, and I throw it to someone waaay down there." He lobbed the stone into the air, and it sailed into the valley below. "See, once someone down there catches it they get to hear the message. But it doesn't reach there instantly. The stone can only travel so fast, so it spends a lot of time in the air. Now, this song was initially broadcast over a decade ago, but the planet we're on is so far away that it took 10 years for it to arrive. In fact, we got there faster than the song did!"

"Ohh," Krystal nodded in understanding. "Is that why it's called rock and roll?"

Fox blinked. "Did…you just make a pun?"

"A pun?" Fox felt Krystal tickling his memories as she rifled through them, searching for the definition.

When she found it she giggled. "Oh, I see. These pun things are…fun! But no, I heard Falco listening to a song before we left. He said it was 'rock and roll.'"

"No, rock is just a genre. A type of music that sounds the same. The song we were listening to is pop or I guess dance music."

At this revelation Krystal became noticeably worried. Suddenly unconfident in her Cornerian, she switched back to telepathy. _"But, 'rock' is the name of that thing you just threw. And 'pop' is what that bubbly water on your ship was called. Why do words change so much!?"_

"Well, rather than inventing new words, it's easier to reuse old words. So Falco's 'rock' music was named after 'rocks' like the one I threw. Rock music sounds like someone is banging rocks against your eardrums. On the other hand, pop music is just a shortened version of 'popular' music. Trust me, it'll make sense once you hear more music."

" _Okay, if you say so…"_

A silence fell between them, and Fox used the pause to listen to the rest of the song. It was horribly garbled and hard to distinguish from all the interference, but it was still a nostalgic trip back to his childhood. When the song ended and the next began, Fox's face lit up again. It was yet another of his favorite songs! Each line seemed to bring back a rush of memories of him and his mother driving through downtown Papetoon…

The old adage was right. Music was a powerful drug.

"Alright, we gotta keep moving."

With a heavy heart Fox switched the radio off and zipped it up into his pack. He swung the pack over his shoulder and stood up. Stepping over to the edge of the hill he looked up at the sky.

"Bill should be itching to have my neck after we escaped a second time. The Cornerians could show up at any minute, but Cerinia's a big planet. Just…watch the skies."

Krystal slid off the wing and landed without any help this time. She looked to Fox for guidance but was surprised to see him waiting expectantly for her.

"What is it?"

"Um, I don't know where we're going. I've never been here before, so I was hoping you would lead the way."

 _"Oh! But…I don't know if I've even been here either. If I was, I could only have been a few years old. And I'm sure it didn't look like…this."_

"Try concentrating on what you _feel_. Reach out with your mind."

Following his suggestion Krystal bowed her head and closed her eyes. In her minds eye she was flying over the barren wasteland, scanning the shadows for any signs of life, feeling the harsh boundaries of rock and concrete.

She gasped.

"There's something out there," she said, looking up. "I can't tell what it is, but it's alive."

Fox looked both relieved and worried. "Well Krystal, lead the way…"

X

The elevator doors opened onto the top floor of Space Dynamics' headquarters. Fara exited first, noting the grey marble walls and large glass windows that opened onto Corneria City's skyline. The executive meeting room was to their right, separated from the hall only by plexiglass walls. Seated at the head of a polished oak table was the company's president, Yaru de Pon. On his left sat Fredersen, the banker who had orchestrated the union of their two companies. They looked up from some tablets and acknowledged Eddison.

The elder fennec squeezed Fara's hand. "Alright Princess, this will only take a few minutes. Shouldn't be too painful."

"Don't take too long Daddy," Fara winked at him.

While Eddison made his way to the board meeting room Fara sat in a comfy fabric chair next to the window. She powered on her tablet and began reviewing her test flight results from the previous day. She had only come along because her father promised to take her to her favorite Zonessian restaurant after his meeting.

She tried to keep her mind focused on the test results, but before long her perceptive ears picked up voices drifting her way. Executive meeting rooms were normally sound proof, but her eyes drifted to the doors which must have been left open by her father. She wondered if it had been accidental or not.

It wouldn't have been so bad if the hallway was filled with talking people, but because it was so deathly quiet she found it impossible to focus on anything else besides the executives' voices. Fara kept stealing glances up at the three figures, trying to read their facial expressions to supplement their words.

At first they were amicable enough. The bull and tanooki greeted Eddison heartily, exchanged pleasantries, then sat down to business. But it didn't take long for things to get heated.

"… _gentlemen, I'm worried we can't justify the cost of life."_ Her father.

" _The station will pay for itself once it's built. It will raise living standards in Lylat a century ahead of what they would have been otherwise!"_ De Pon's voice; higher-pitched and energetic.

" _Past accidents are no longer possible. He perfected the formula during the Lylat Wars, and the last one was obliterated by Starfox, not from some internal malfunction. If they had never destroyed it there would still be one in the System today."_

" _But we've never attempted one of this size before. Imagine if we finished construction, set everything up, and then something went wrong. There will be no recovery this time, no brushing it under the rug, and no blaming some scapegoat. If we mess this up the whole System will bear witness to it, and more than likely pay the price. Have you considered everyone else who might be effected? What of your average citizen who has no say in the matter? What about the power source itself?"_

" _Government forces are preparing to reclaim it as we speak,"_ De Pon assured him.

" _I don't mean where is it, I meant what are the ethics of using it? And while we're at it, let's stop using 'it' to refer to the power source. We all know-"_

At that moment Fredersen noticed the door was ajar, and he hushed Fara's father. De Pon got up and closed it, and Fara pretended to be focused on her flight results once again. But when she deemed it safe, she returned to glancing at the heated scene.

The fuse was nearly spent. The executives' arm motions were becoming more and more forceful, and Fara wondered how they hadn't come to blows yet. Eddison rolled his sleeves up and crossed his arms. That was her father all right, stubborn to the end. Fredersen and De Pon looked more and more exasperated as they tried to reason with him, but they didn't seem to be making any headway. Eventually Eddison shot to his feet and stormed angrily out of the meeting room, straightening his tie.

Fara packed her tablet and rushed to his side. "That didn't go too well, did it?"

Her father rubbed the bridge of his nose. "No, that went just about as bad as it could have gone." He removed his glasses, wiping them with a cloth from his pocket. "Fara, when I agreed to this merger, we removed the 'Phoenix' name from our company and became just General Dynamics. It's not about the Phoenix family anymore. It's not about us. But I didn't agree to some wild miracle scheme that will "single-handedly" save Lylat from the post-war depression. I thought if we pooled our resources we could come up with solutions to help people from the ground up. Not grandiose undertakings from visionaries."

"I gather they want to start a dangerous project rather than fix Lylat directly?"

"Exactly. I'm getting tired of going in there and fighting on my own. I need an ally. That Beltino fellow doesn't sound so bad, but he doesn't have the courage to fight a fly. He's too consumed by what he _can_ do instead of what he _should_ do. No Fara, I think the time has come for me to start involving you more in my business affairs. I already have too many enemies."

As they stepped onto the elevator Fara stole one last glance at the tanooki and bull. They had just finished talking about something and nodding in agreement. Then they turned to watch them go. But they weren't looking at her father.

They were looking at her.

X

Bill stood in the Orbital Gate's docking bay, hands clasped behind him. He looked on as a Cornerian cruiser lumbered into place. Though he didn't recognize the ship, he was expecting a particular someone aboard it.

It was a new model, unlike any he had seen in the war. While it wasn't larger than usual, it looked a hell of a lot stronger. It also was sleeker and more aesthetic than the boring utilitarian models he was used to seeing, as if it also served some ceremonial function. Even with his current worries he couldn't help but imagine himself at the helm of such a magnificent creature, the entire crew at his beck and call.

"Oooh you are in _trouble,"_ a voice teased.

Bill immediately tensed. "Please, you can't make me any more anxious than I already am."

His wingmates Miyu and Fay flanked him on either side, leaning over the railing to take in the marvel of Cornerian engineering.

"Lay off him Miyu," the pale spaniel said. "We were just as much to blame for Fox's escape as Bill was. But of course he's the one who gets reprimanded."

"Aw, and I was just getting used to seeing those captain's bars."

"Miyu! That's too far!" Fay barked.

The lynx stifled a snort. "Alright, I'm sorry. Anyway Bill, no matter what happens we'll still be beside you."

"I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing," Bill mumbled.

"Oh it's a good thing! A good thing!" Fay and Miyu assured him at the same time.

Bill enjoyed the brief respite his wingmates provided from having to worry in solitude, but the icy fingers of dread made him feel antsy, and he worried he might lash out at one of them.

"Hey, you better go now. I don't want you to be around to see…whatever happens next."

Miyu slapped his back. "Alright Bill, we'll catch you later in the mess hall."

Fay turned to walk off with her compatriot. "Don't worry. What's the worst that could happen?"

As Bill turned back to the ship he thought, I could get court-martialed...

Several pairs of iron claws locked the cruiser in place, and hisses of steam and hydraulics blasted through release valves. A service ramp extended to the cruiser's loading bay and the airlock opened to accept it. A contingent of Cornerian soldiers emerged, headed by the one man Bill looked up to, and the one man he feared the most.

When they descended the ramp Bill greeted the hound. "Welcome aboard, General Pepper." It was hard to keep his nervousness from showing.

Pepper returned Bill's salute before waving his men on.

"Thank you, Captain."

Whew, still captain! Bill sighed inwardly. At least that was a good sign…

"Come, walk with me. Admire this fine specimen of Cornerian ingenuity."

Bill could only half glance at the imposing ship their walk orbited. He was mostly focused on Pepper's back, trying to read any hint he could from it. The very fact that Pepper walked a few steps ahead of him signaled a break from their usual relationship. He thought back to the time Pepper shared breakfast with him.

"Ah, it's good to have this Venomian business finally behind us. Soon we won't have to utter Venom or Andross's names every again - except maybe in history books."

He was referring to the war crime trials, where he had just passed sentence on all their enemies.

"Y-yes, I'm glad they were finally brought to justice, General. I wish I could have been present for their execution."

"Mm, yes, but you had more important business to attend to _here_ …"

Bill flinched when the subject finally turned to the elephant in the room. Just get it over with already.

"I must say I'm disappointed with your performance, Bill. That's twice now that McCloud has eluded you."

"I'm sorry sir. I'm utterly ashamed of my failure and I regret the damage it's caused to the recovery efforts." He stopped short of saying, 'It won't happen again' because he didn't want to press the issue of there _being_ an again.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Pepper said. "I had a talk with the research team and they think this could turn out in our favor."

Bill's eyebrow's raised. "I'd like more than anything to believe that myself, but how?"

"Perhaps it's time I explained a little more to you…"

When they reached the deck in front of the ship's bridge Pepper halted. He turned and faced the reinforced glass windows, hands clasped behind him.

"As I've already explained, the research subject McCloud kidnapped was part of an experiment to unlock psychic powers. #28 is one of the last few test subjects, and certainly the one with the most potential. However, unlocking that potential has proven rather…difficult."

"If you don't mind me asking, where is Fox taking her?"

Pepper sighed, looking reluctant to reveal so much to Bill. "#28 and the other subjects aren't from Lylat at all. They're from an exoplanetary system called the Lilith System. We reached their planet Cerinia when stress testing Beltino's gate many years ago. The Lilith System contains the closest habitable exoplanet to Lylat, you see. When we found the planet it was in ruins; war-torn and devastated. 28 was an orphan we rescued from the rubble-strewn streets. The researchers hope that returning to its home planet might trigger an awakening. Your blunder of letting McCloud escape may indeed prove a boon to us in the long run."

Bill was shocked by the revelation. He couldn't believe that they'd actually made contact with another alien system! Then his hopes began to raise from the sheer fact that Pepper was revealing so much to him. There had to be a purpose to this.

"Then…is there a place for me in all of this?"

Pepper seemed to disregard his question at first. "Though you once again failed to capture one _single_ pilot, you've demonstrated that you were indeed willing and eager to capture Fox, unlike your last encounter where you hesitated. You've proven to me that you are determined to bring him to justice, regardless of your prior history with the McCloud boy. Yes, Bill, I will indeed give you one last chance."

"Th-thank you, sir!"

Pepper held up a gloved finger. "But don't squander it. Remember, _this_ is what McCloud has done with all my generous chances to reform. He's gone and thrown them away." The hound placed a hand on Bill's shoulder. "Don't follow his same path, Bill."

The bulldog's spirits were soaring now, his stress abated. "Please sir, what can I do!?"

"Seeing as how we wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't fouled it up in the first place, it is only fitting that you pick up the pieces of your own mistakes. I can think of no better person to lead the recovery effort than you."

"I won't let you down again sir!"

"Oh, I'm confident you won't. Too much is riding on it. You will assemble your task force from Husky and Bulldog units and wait for the arrival of a Space Dynamics representative. Don't come back to me until you've recovered Fox and the subject."

"Yes sir!"

Pepper gave him one last salute, which Bill mirrored with the damn best returning gesture he could muster. Pepper turned to leave Bill standing there, but before he was out of earshot he called back, "Oh, by the way…she's all yours."

"…She?"

Bill stood dumbfounded in the docking bay, watching as Pepper left. Slowly he turned and looked back at the behemoth of a Cornerian cruiser.

"Holy-!"

X

 _Author's Notes : ACT 2 BAY-BEE!_

 _If you hadn't noticed, I retconned Fay and Miyu in for Bill's two previous wingmates last chapter. I read some of SF2's new materials which say they originated as part of the Cornerian military, so it kinda makes sense to have them. They're much more fun than the two OCs I came up with, who were really only throw-away references to similar movies as Independence Day, like Bill Grey's name is. So yes, I've gone and replaced them in the previous chapter. Just pretend like it was always that way…*Men in Black neuralyzer flash!*_


	14. Strange New World

X

Mission No. 14

Area 6  
Former Air Defense Zone

Strange New World

X

Aboard a cramped Venomian transport shuttle stood one Captain Grude. The crocodile was large and out of shape, but he managed to look imposing even with his beer belly. If he didn't, what was left of his crew wouldn't respect him.

"Hey grease pot, when are we blowin' this scrap yard?"

…Well, at least they still followed orders.

The captain didn't turn around, instead keeping an attentive watch out the forward window.

"Sector V is within sight," his voice boomed back. "As soon as this floating graveyard orbits a bit closer, and the Cornerian patrols leave the area, we can make a break for it."

Outside the viewport drifted a tangled sea of debris. The accursed Starfox team had completely ignored their mighty defense zone to blow straight through their prized Bolse satellite. It meant the Cornerian ground assault had to brave the trenches on the way to Andross's lair, but they'd effectively bypassed the main strength of the Emperor's fleet. Then, without the imposing threat of the defense satellite, a second contingent of Cornerian air support made quick work of Area 6. Captain Grude and his crew only barely managed to escape the carnage; and then it was out of the frying pan and into the fire. Venom's surface defenses were just as quickly uprooted, but Grude and his men escaped a second time. Not without losses, of course; they were running short on body bags, and unless the next crewman was completely disintegrated they'd be short one.

"Enough cowering behind the bones of our fallen brethren!" the spider monkey exclaimed. "I say we take them head-on and avenge the Emperor!"

Grude rolled his eyes. "Lago, you're demoted."

"You've already demoted me back to private! I can't go any lower."

"I don't care, I'm _still_ demoting you!" The dismembered bridge of a Zeram-class cruiser floated by, emitting sparks. "Do you want to end up looking like that? No? I thought not. Now we wait for their patrol to leave."

Lago sat down and stared into the corner darkly. "I can't believe this. We've been reduced from soldiers to common smugglers…"

Grude glanced towards the back of the cargo bay, where a crate with valuable contents sat. They weren't able to escape Venom with much, but depending on the price they could get for it on the black market they might be set for awhile.

The four Venomians inside the shuttle waited anxiously. Grude kept up a stoic façade, even though he was just as nervous as the rest of the bunch. Shirk, an orange salamander and Grude's left-hand man, was seated at the controls. He had his eyes trained on the scanners, watching the Cornerian patrol as it passed. Lago the spider monkey kept fidgeting with his gun, while Speckler, their gangly chimp gunner, nervously paced around his station. None dared make a sound, even though the Cornerians couldn't possibly hear them.

"The curs are gone," Shirk finally rasped.

"About bloody time. Let's get out of here!"

The salamander gunned the engines, and the shuttle left the carcass of the Umbra-class cruiser they were hiding in. They made a beeline for Sector V in the opposite direction of the patrol. They could see the enchanted purple hues glowing through the cloud of debris; a promise of freedom from the watchful Cornerian eye.

But a fiery orange burst flashed on their portside, sending scraps of metal and bits of flame in all directions.

"What was that!?" Lago cried.

"They've spotted us!" Speckler jumped into the transport's turret seat, prepping the dual barrels for action.

"Nonsense, it was just a damaged fuel cell combusting," Grude assured them.

But Shirk looked up from the scanner. "The patrol…they're coming back to investigate!"

The crocodile balled a fist and smashed it into the hull. "What rotten luck! Of course this happens to us. Shirk, all ahead full!"

The salamander pressed the throttle all the way forward, and the ship accelerated. Behind them the Cornerians spotted the fleeing soldiers and began their pursuit. Shirk did his best to bob and weave through the scattered wreckage, but it was difficult to accomplish at full speed.

A metallic THUNK sounded against the ship, and the occupants lurched to one side.

"Watch it Shirk!" the reptile growled.

"Get off my ass!" Shirk hissed back, "Whatever piece of garbage hit us came from my blind spot; how could I bloody see it? Scrap must-o' been aimed at us…"

The ship rocked again and began to slow. Grude rushed to the side porthole and looked out, noticing a worrying plume of smoke coming from their starboard engine.

"Speckler, keep those dogs off our tail!"

"It wasn't them!" the chimp shouted back, "we're not in range yet!"

What in bloody blazes…

A chime sounded from the dashboard, and a hiss emitted from the rear of the shuttle.

"We're…we're being boarded!" Shirk warned.

Grude and the others spun around a mere second too late. They came face-to-face with a blue-feathered pheasant and a blaster primed and pointed at them. As one they drew their weapons and aimed back.

"Whoa, take it easy there," the avian said in a cocky voice. "I wouldn't shoot just yet if I were you."

"You're in no position to bargain, bird," Grude said. "It's four of us against one of you. You might kill one of us, but we have four times that chance of killing you."

"You're one to talk, gator gut. You're the biggest target here and the first one I'll shoot if it comes to it; I have less chance of missing."

Grude's jaw dropped open while the two primates exchanged glances.

"That fine with you Speckler?"

"Yeah, I say we take 'im."

"Wait! As Captain I _order_ you not to fire!"

The bird flipped a detonator in his hand and caught it. "Smart move. See, I just decommissioned your starboard engine. I have a bomb placed on your second one as well, and if anyone makes a sudden move my itchy trigger wing will det it. Faster than you can say "Uncle Andross" you'll be sitting ducks for the Cornerians to pick up. Then it's off to a Zonessian prison for a decade or two."

To make matters worse, Shirk warned, "The Cornerians are gaining on us!"

Grude kept his blaster trained on the bird, but it trembled with the ship. "You…you're not Cornerian! You're just some merc. In fact I bet you exploded that random fuel tank just to set us up like this. So, what's in it for you besides the bounty on Venomian soldiers? There's gotta be somethin' else ya want, or you wouldn't have gone to this length to get us here."

The avian winked. "Right you are! I want _this."_ Without even glancing down he tapped his foot against the crate they were smuggling out of Venom.

"Captain, he can't have that!" Shirk hissed quietly. The ship lurched when he glanced over his shoulder at Falco.

"Eyes on our flight path!" Grude bellowed at him. Turning back to the avian he begged, "I'll-I'll give you an even portion!"

Falco just raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, as if to say "Really?"

"Then we'll split it 50-50?"

The ship rattled as Shirk crashed into more debris, but the mercenary didn't budge.

"Fine, you can take all of it! Just let us go!"

"Phew, I thought you'd never agree."

The bird shoved the case backwards with his foot. The artificial gravity made it slide backwards through the airlock and into his ship's cargo hold, which was docked against the back of the shuttle.

Lago crept into the open, eyes widening the more he studied the avian.

"Wait a minute…you're part of Starfox, aren't you?"

"Getting warmer…"

He pointed at him. "You're that bird, Falco Linguini!"

Falco slouched, a look of disappointment on his face. "Oh come on. It's not that hard to remember Falco Lombard-"

But the monkey charged forward, blaster firing. _"You'll die for what you did to the Supreme Emperor!"_

Falco threw himself to the floor to avoid the first few blaster shots, then fired his own weapon squarely in the charging primate's breast. His assailant fell to the deck, clutching at a burning hole in his chest.

Falco righted himself and blew the trail of smoke coming from his blaster. "Anyone else?"

"He killed Lago!"

 _"Get him!"_

But before the others could attack Falco kicked a fire extinguisher into the forward hold of the shuttle, took aim, and exploded it with a well-placed blaster shot. The pressurized container ripped apart, sending white foam everywhere. The Venomians were quickly covered and blinded by the solution, halting their advance. Falco dove backwards through the airlock and waved at them.

"Uh, toodles, I guess."

The bay door sealed shut just in time to block a volley of laser fire. The ship lurched as the avian's fighter decoupled and drifted away.

Grude looked over at Speckley. Both of the Venomians didn't look like much more than piles of foaming agent.

"Well, I heard Starfox was a team of goody-two-shoes, so maybe he'll keep his word and let us escape."

The shuttle reverberated as another explosion shook its portside.

"Son of a-"

X

"So that's how you ended up with…this?" Peppy nudged the crate with his boot.

"Of course!" Falco concluded his story.

The hare crossed his arms and smiled condescendingly. "Really Falco, you expect me to believe all that?"

He faltered. "Well, yeah. Why not?"

"Because that's about the most _ridiculous_ story I ever heard come from that yappin' beak. 'Shooting a flying fire extinguisher' my cottontail…"

Peppy, Falco, and Slippy stood in the shuttle's storage compartment, circled around a large transport crate. When they rendezvoused with Falco the day before, and he and Fox traded Arwings for their stunt at the gate, the avian had lugged the cargo aboard Peppy's shuttle, unwilling to part with it.

Outside the viewport lay the blackness of space, littered with tiny white stars scattered like grains of salt. After they helped Fox and Krystal through Beltino's Gate they slipped away to neutral space, hiding just on the edge of the Meteo asteroid field. Bill and the Cornerians were so occupied with Fox and the chaos Falco caused that they were easily able to sneak away unnoticed.

"Honestly Falco, I can't believe you stole this. I thought you were above petty theft and drug running now that Starfox was so successful."

"Yeah? Well ya had me figured wrong. When I joined your team I'd just left my old street gang back on Zoness. We pulled jobs like this nearly every week. Honestly I've kinda missed the thrill. Oh, and quit saying I "stole" it. It's not stealing if you steal from robbers."

The hare's nose twitched. "But they stole it from _our_ boys! By the reflexive property you're stealing from the Cornerians."

"Who in turn stole it from the Venomians! See, even the Cornerians know it's okay to steal from those who steal!"

"What!? But… Argh!" Peppy threw his arms up in frustration. "Now you've got me so confused I don't even know how to respond to you. The point is you've ended up with property that rightfully belongs to the good guys, and as your elder by some twenty-plus winters I strongly advise you to return it."

Falco crossed his arms and wouldn't budge. "Nuh-uh. I broke my tail-feathers getting this stuff; I ain't about to just drop it off on some policeman's doorstep. Besides, I blew through most of my reward money and could use some extra dough."

Peppy knelt in front of the crate. "Well, what type of drug is it? Class A's? Hallucinogens? Opioids?"

"I…actually don't know. I've never seen them before. Must be a new Venomian drug. Here, see for yourself."

Falco crouched beside Peppy and undid the clasps. The top popped open, revealing the contents of the crate. Rack upon rack of sample tubes rested atop one another, sparkling in the shuttle bay's fluorescent light. Peppy gingerly picked one of the vials up, studying it with one eye closed. He turned it back and forth in his fingers, admiring how the light seemed to make it change colors at different angles.

"I admit my knowledge of narcotics is limited. James and I never did anything more potent than Molly during our academy days; not that you should ever try it either!" he finished, pointing a judgmental finger at Slippy and Falco.

"Yeah yeah, skip the lecture Gramps. You're alive and still here, which means it didn't kill you."

Peppy stared thoughtfully out the window. "That fool almost got us kicked out of Flight Academy…" He shook himself back to the present and handed the vial to Slippy. "Can you make anything of this son?"

Slippy narrowed his eyes at the container. "Well, it has 'krystal lysergisch acid' printed along the side; 'krystal' spelled with a K."

"'Krystal' is just the Venomian spelling of crystal," Peppy explained.

"Yeah, no shit Gramps. Do you think it could have anything to do with that blue-furred chick Fox was escorting around?"

Peppy scratched his chin fur. "The names are probably just coincidence; Fox told me he gave her the name because, as a research subject, she didn't have one. Though she seemed to recognize it..."

Slippy handed the vial back. "I think I saw this mentioned in the data Fox sent me. It's some sort of experimental drug Venom was working on, and it's linked to the Cerinians, but I don't remember much more than that. Additionally the test-tube packaging suggests it was synthesized in a lab by actual researchers. It's not some bootleg brewed in someone's garage, or else it would've been packaged in gallon jugs without the scientific labeling."

Peppy clasped his hands behind his back, pacing over to one of the viewports. Wordlessly he stared out, lost in thought. Both Falco and Slippy waited anxiously for his conclusion. Eventually he turned and faced them with a resolute expression.

"Since Fox is no longer in Lylat, the duty falls to me to be acting commander of Starfox. I say we help him."

"Now you're talking!" Falco pumped his fist.

"But how?" Slippy asked. "He's an entire star system away! There's no way we can get through my dad's gate a second time; security will be even tighter now."

"I know what he's thinking," Falco smiled while locking eyes with Peppy. "We sneak aboard a Cornerian troop transport headed through the Gate!"

"That's exactly what we'd do," Peppy began, "if we wanted to get ourselves killed the fastest way possible. That's just plain suicide. No, we can help Fox by remaining here in Lylat. I think Fox stumbled onto something big; bigger than any of us, and that's saying something. I'm a little disconcerted with the immediate absorption of Venom's research into Cornerian corporations. Part of me thinks there's not enough good intentions in the world to transform that which is inherently evil."

Slippy wrung his hands. "Alright, what do you want us to do?"

"We look into this psychic program. Find out more about that young lady, Andross's involvement, and the current status of the experiments in government hands. We can start by analyzing the composition of these chemicals."

Falco confidently nodded. "I know this gal on Zoness. She's a great cook- er, chemist, I mean."

Peppy glared at him, his whiskers twitching. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that slip up. Locate your...chemist, and have her analyze these; find out their effects, what they're made from, whatever. Keep in constant contact with me. As for you, Slippy," he turned to the amphibian, "what I'm going to ask of you is rather dangerous. I want you to infiltrate Cornerian Intelligence and find out more about this Cerinia project. Use whatever elevated privileges and job positions you have. But whatever you do, don't get caught. Are you up to it?"

Slippy scuffed his boot against the bay floor. "Snooping around government databases is pretty risky…but if it's for Fox I'll do it. Count me in!"

"What about you, Gramps?"

"I'll ask around," Peppy said. "I've made plenty of connections since the Lylat War, so it's time to put them to good use."

When they were finished talking they helped Falco carry the crate back aboard Fox's Arwing. The fighter was docked with the rear of the shuttle, so Falco had to crawl in through the storage compartment to get to the cockpit. Once inside he pushed the seat back up and settled in. A jolt ran through the ship as the doors sealed and it decoupled from the transport shuttle. But before he left Slippy hailed him over the intercom.

The frog's face appeared as an emerald hologram. "Hey Falco, you be careful out there! You know I won't be around to keep your beak out of trouble anymore."

"Ha-ha." The pheasant folded his wings behind his head and kicked back. "Don't worry about me, Slip. I can handle things. If anyone, I should be worried about you."

Peppy's head replaced Slippy's. "Remember Falco, that's Fox's Arwing. You better not put a scratch on it, or-"

"I know, I know. He'll fricassee me." As his ship floated away, he looked up at the shrinking shuttle, which gleamed silver in the sunlight. "I'll see you guys when we finish sorting this out. I promise."

"Bye Falco!" Slippy cried before he drifted out of comm range.

The avian placed two fingers to his forehead and casually saluted. "Yeah, bye kid…"

X

Fox followed Krystal down the incline and into the decimated town. He felt guilty about having her go first, but if she could remotely sense other creatures' minds she should be safe. Of course he was still figuring out the limits to her powers; Krystal didn't seem to know their full extent either. He'd also coaxed her to wear more clothes this time. Currently she borrowed one of his green jumpsuits, which was only slightly too big on her lithe frame, as well as a pair of boots. She'd left behind the down vest when Cerinia's climate proved to be temperate, though Fox kept his on for the extra pockets. At first she insisted on…"lighter" wear, but he convinced her to don the flight suit by saying the landscape might turn out like Venom, which quickly changed her mind.

Regardless, Krystal didn't look comfortable. She was still getting used to the boots, and intermittently tripped over rocks and debris. Nor did she enjoy wearing the flight suit; she constantly itched different spots and tugged at the collar.

Near the foot of the hill they reached a steep, dirt incline, and Fox took Krystal's hand. Together they slid down, relying on each other for balance. At the bottom they ran forward a bit to dissipate their momentum, then slowed.

The destruction of the town looked even worse up close.

"You said you sensed someone?" Fox checked again. "Are they anywhere nearby?"

The girl's eyes darted between the crumbling buildings. "I don't think so…I hear their thoughts echoing from far away."

Now Fox decided to walk by her side. Even if there weren't any _living_ creatures nearby, there might be hazards waiting for them in the ruined city; hazards which her telepathy wouldn't pick up. He scanned every crack in the pavement, the wall of every decaying structure they passed, and the dark interiors of the shops lining the street. In every strange vehicle or dwelling they came upon, Fox expected to find some poor soul's remains. But he never did. Not once did he spot a rotting corpse, or a spindly skeleton, or even a conspicuous pile of ash.

"It's completely empty," he whispered. "People had to have died here, but it's as if all the bodies were cleaned out."

Nor could Fox find any rhyme or reason to the destruction; ever time he thought he had a theory for how the town was destroyed, he'd spot something new and unusual that turned it on its head.

His first thought was that an earthquake had shaken everything to the ground. At least that's what the crumbling buildings and torn streets lead him to believe. But in other places there were stains of black ash in vaguely-animal shapes, as well as charred plants and burned wood. So maybe bombs and explosions? An armed conflict? If so, where were the bullet holes, spent shells, or pockmarks?

Then they stumbled upon more and more unnatural signs that defied explanation. Metal fence posts were uprooted and embedded in walls clear across the street, sometimes two or even three stories up.

Eventually they came upon the town square, which offered the most confusing sight of all. The pillars in the encircling buildings were cleanly sliced through, as if a giant had chopped them up like they were nothing more than vegetables. Fox remembered several ancient alien shows where the host pointed out how smooth the stones were cut in certain temples. "It was impossible!" the host claimed. Well, that's exactly what he saw here.

Fox awkwardly climbed over a rift in the cement sidewalk. "This isn't natural," he muttered, "or even possible for someone of our species. What in the world could have done this?"

Krystal scaled to the top of the crack behind Fox, sharing her thoughts with him. " _Well,_ _I'm glad you're just as lost as me. I don't recognize anything at-"_

Through their mental connection Fox felt Krystal's muscles tighten as if they were his own. Then her thoughts were torn from his, and he whirled around to catch her as soon as she fell off the ridge in the sidewalk. She crashed into his arms and Fox staggered back under her sudden weight. Krystal got a mouthful of his down vest in surprise.

"Whoa, you okay?" he chuckled nervously.

"Yes," came her muffled voice, head buried in his chest. _"Sorry, I just lost my balance. These boots are so cumbersome."_

"I understand," he admitted, still supporting her with his arms, "but it's better than cutting your feet on all these sharp edges. You'll get used to them."

Fox trailed off, but the vixen made no move to lift herself. She held onto Fox's chest, her face pressed against his soft vest for an increasingly awkward amount of time. Fox almost said something, but finally she righted herself.

 _"Let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."_ She didn't even acknowledge what happened between them, and Fox felt a bit relieved.

"Yeah, let's beat it. Are we still headed in the right direction?"

Krystal nodded. _"The thought whispers are coming from over there. They're very faint, so the owner must still be far away."_

They hurried through the rest of the buildings, eager to leave the haunting town. When they reached the other side they had to climb back out of the valley, which obviously proved a harder task than climbing _into_ it.

After a tough climb they crested the hill's peak. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath, but it was just as quickly stolen again when they saw what lay before them.

A blanket of white snow stretched into the horizon, shimmering in the early morning light. It was painted with a myriad of oranges and pinks and blues, reminding Fox of a blank canvas on which the morning sun could freely paint. Odd, it didn't even feel remotely cold right now.

When they descended the next hill and came upon the white expanse, Fox saw that it wasn't snow at all, but clear grains of sand. They were so pure and polished that together they looked like a sea of salt or sugar.

" _What's this?"_ Krystal asked.

"I think it's some kind of desert." Fox summoned up several relevant images and mentally passed them to the vixen. "I've never seen one like this before."

" _We'll have to cross it to find whoever's out there. Are deserts dangerous?"_

Fox weighed his response. "Potentially. You can quickly lose your sense of direction, get lost, and go in circles. You can die of thirst and starvation. Sometimes you might get bit by a poisonous snake. In Lylat you might run into bandits or other criminals, but I really have no idea what to expect here. If someone's alive out there, it must be safe. At least, depending on who they are. Or _what_ …"

Together they stepped onto the sand, their heavy boots sinking a few inches with each step. At least it wasn't plagued by ion storms like Titania's wastes or boiling hot like Papetoon's dusty outback. Even so, it seemed just as expansive.

X

After an hour of walking they crested a dune and looked down on yet another strange sight; one that somehow topped the rest of what they'd seen that day. To Fox it looked like a modern art display; the sand was melted into a glass floor in a large, circular shape. Several large statues stood menacingly around the edges, though there was hardly a through-line that connected them. The first object they passed was a large crystalline stone with thousands of rivulets tunneled in its sides. It looked like a piece of volcanic rock, or perhaps a massive ocarina with innumerable holes peppering it. Whenever a breeze blew and passed through the tunnels it played a collection of haunting notes.

The second statue they passed looked like a giant plant, the likes of which Fox had never seen before. Its foliage was composed of funnel-shaped leaves; they collected morning dew or rain water and let the moisture drip into a variety of bowls carved in the class below. Each branch was at a different height, and each bowl was either shallow or deep, resulting in a myriad of frequencies the drops achieved.

A third statue reminded Fox of a giant wind-chime; it towered above the vulpines, with the chimes made from a polished material that resembled mother of pearl. Intermittently they'd bump into one another, resulting in a beautiful gold or silver tone that rung out between the surrounding dunes.

"Wow, it's so pretty," Krystal whispered.

Fox was unable to enjoy the concert. He was too weirded-out by all the strange things he'd seen that day, as well as the instruments' massive size. Who could have made something so large, and so bizarre?

When he turned back to Krystal she had unzipped the flight jacket and was shrugging out of it. Fox gave her a chastising stare and cleared his throat. "Ah- _hem!"_

The vixen glared back when she noticed. She stuck out her tongue and reluctantly slipped her arms back into the sleeves. "Hmph! _I don't understand you people. You're never honest about what you feel. You get excited whenever I take this off, but you pretend you don't want me too. It's no use hiding things from me, you know."_

Fox sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Please, let's not have this argument again. Sometimes I want a lot of things that are improper or bad, but I still have higher reasoning powers to tell myself no. _Physically_ I might want to strangle my flight instructor at the academy, but _logically_ I know I'd go to jail, so I keep myself from-"

Krystal's eyes widened as she seemed to spot something over Fox's shoulder. "Look!" she exclaimed, pointing behind him. Fox followed the direction of her finger and gasped.

In the distant sky floated an otherworldly creature. It was cephalopodic, with dozens of long, wispy tendrils that seemed to stretch for miles. They were made out of silvery ribbon that glimmered in the noon sunlight. Overall it dazzled the two vulpines, but its sheer size also made their knees tremble. It stretched longer than several Cornerian cruisers arrayed end-to-end. One side was definitely the main body, but they couldn't make out features like eyes or even a head; it was only made up of tangled ribbon.

Worried that it might see them, Fox grabbed Krystal's hand and pulled her into the safety of the "ocarina." Together they crawled into one of the holes along the side, poking their heads just out of cover to watch the beast. Fox's mind tickled as Krystal riffled through his memories, desperately searching for anything the creature could be. But all either of them could come up with was ribbon on gifts Fox had received as a boy.

"We'll wait here until it passes," he whispered, even though at this distance it could never hear him. In fact, he slowly realized most of his fears were unfounded. To the creature, both of the foxes were little more than ants.

For awhile they watched in awe as the knot of shinning tendrils slowly swam across the horizon. But it didn't go unchallenged. Without warning the ground began to shake. Krystal grabbed onto Fox as the "ocarina" shook from the trembling. Beneath the cephalopod the white dunes erupted. The clouds of sand dissipated to reveal an equally-massive insect with multiple black segments. Its back end remained buried in the sand, but its head looked like a giant pair of scissors; even the finger holes seemed to be represented in the design of its carapace. The monster reared up on dozens of hind legs, its head reaching until its dual blades snapped closed around the first creature. It was as if the second beast's sole purpose was to kill the other. The snap itself sent a shock wave through the sky and desert, buffeting Krystal and Fox with wind and dust. The cephalopod screamed in a high-pitched wail, while the insect folded its legs and fell back into the dunes, dragging its prey down with it. Their collision with the ground sent a thunderous boom through the desert, kicking up another cloud of sand. But when the dust settled, the two foxes couldn't see strand nor feeler of the two creatures. They had vanished back into the dunes.

A minute of utter silence passed until the foxes deemed everything safe. Cautiously they crept out of the hole and brushed themselves off.

"Okay…what the hell just happened?" Fox turned and exchanged glances with Krystal. "Please tell me you saw that too! I didn't hallucinate all of it…did I? It's been a few days since I've had my…"

Krystal shook her head. _"No, you didn't dream it. I saw it too. And I feel sad because of it. That poor creature was only bringing beauty to the world, but the other one had to destroy it. How is there any meaning in its death?"_

Fox shrugged. "Well, at least it's not in the direction we were headed. I'd hate to run into one of those monsters in this desert." His insides clenched and he quickly scanned the dunes around him, suddenly worried that another beast could be hiding underneath the very sand they stood on. At least the orchestra of statues was still standing after what seemed like many years. "Say, Krystal, did you detect thoughts in either of those creatures? They were real, right?"

" _They weren't just…"_ Fox felt her digging through his frontal lobe for the right word, _"…mirages_. _They had thoughts, but they were only simple ones. While they were very loud thoughts, they were only a few words repeated over and over again, as if they were recorded and played back in a loop. Their thought-speech wasn't intelligent like ours, nor could I hear them thinking before they woke up."_

Fox whistled. "Wow. Now if only Falco or Slippy were here to see this. They'd never believe me if I told them…" He gestured for Krystal to follow him. "Well, come on, let's keep moving. And pray we don't run into any more of them."

X

After a second hour spent trekking through the vacant sands they came upon another structure. Of course Fox already had an uncomfortable feeling in his gut.

The onyx cube towered several hundred feet above them, but the oddest thing about it was that it somehow balanced on one of its corners. The sharp point only barely touched the sands beneath it, yet not a gust of wind could tip it over. It simply defied all laws of gravity.

As they approached the cube they could see it wasn't smooth at all, but rough and filled with detail. Countless ridges and holes ran across the six faces, but it was hard to discern any pattern. Fox squinted so he could see better. It vaguely reminded him of when he'd left a pile of army figures on the pavement as a child, and the sunlight had melted them together…

When he realized what the carved forms really were his stomach felt sick. Immediately he grabbed Krystal's arm and pulled her back from the monolith. "Krystal, let's go this way."

"What? What's wrong?" Her voice rose in pitch as she craned her head to see over Fox's shoulder.

"Please don't look," the tod begged, tugging her away. "It's not for you to see! Come on, we'll go around."

"Okay, if you say so…" Reluctantly the vixen went along with him, and together they skirted the object. She still cast sidelong glances at it, but from this distance she wasn't able to make out any significant details.

After a few seconds she grew curious and peeked into Fox's thoughts, but the vulpine shook his head and internally screamed _"NO!_ …No. You don't want to see what I saw. Please don't go looking through my memories either. Respect my privacy on this one thing. I'm only doing this for you, Krystal."

The vixen withdrew from his head and shrunk back. "Gomenshuld," she whispered.

"Thanks," Fox breathed in relief.

They continued on, the tod marching resolutely forward. They left the monolith behind, but Fox would never be rid of its memory. It was permanently ingrained in his consciousness for the rest of his days. He couldn't scrub their image from his head; the tortured, twisted forms chaotically linked together, their suffering and ultimate fate memorialized for eternity.

In the end he'd found the town's inhabitants.

X

 _Author's Notes : Wish I'd said something earlier, but thanks to everyone who read or reviewed the story up to this point! I really enjoy hearing back from you all. If you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to post them!_


	15. Angler's Lure

X

Mission No. 15

Zoness  
District 13

Angler's Lure

X

Tendrils of fog clung to Falco's Arwing as he broke through cloud cover. A compact city lay sprawled beneath him, as if someone had just knocked it down in a street brawl. It was terribly beaten up, with bruises of black soot from bomb residue. Leaking sewage and oil spills were its blood and sweat; hazy smog, its dying breath. Venom really did a number on it during the war. The invasion was total and merciless, given Zoness's proximity to the heart of the enemy at the start of the conflict. During the occupation hostile forces were stationed on the planet en masse. The planet's once beautiful oceans were spoiled by Andross's machines of war; her waters defiled by toxic waste, her shipping lanes desecrated by enemy vessels carrying machines of destruction.

In less than a year, most of Zoness had transformed into this. The seas turned a dark, sickly green from the rampant pollution. A dour haze filled the skies, obscuring the sunrise at morning and blotting out the stars at night. Rather than completely die off, the wildlife inhabiting the oceans evolved into hideous creatures, beyond recognition of their former selves; a fate ten times worse than extinction. Falco had never been so horrified or heartbroken when Starfox visited Zoness during the war. It was his first time seeing it like…this.

But while the city was down, it wasn't out for the count. The inhabitants still milled about with their daily lives, making do with what they had and trying to improve the city that gave them shelter. Smoke from kitchens and trash fires rose into the air, proving it still breathed. Buses and diesel motor vehicles puttered along the streets, ensuring the city still had pulse. No coroner would deem it dead just yet. And that's why Falco loved the city so much; it had fighting spirit.

Falco piloted the Arwing down to one of several spaceports; a variety of ships sat next to each other in disorderly rows, ranging in size from small personal craft like his own to larger transports. Even some behemoth-sized shipping cruisers were stationed off to the side.

The avian landed between a small commercial ship and a sloppily-repainted fighter craft that looked eerily similar to a Venomian ship. It probably was, but who cared. The Public Transport Bureau didn't even have air traffic controllers directing ships where to go. On Zoness it was every man for himself.

Before disembarking, Falco searched the glove compartments of Fox's Arwing. He didn't want to leave anything valuable behind that could easily be carried off by a thief, though for the moment he'd have to leave the larger cargo he carried. Eventually his feathered hand closed around a bottle that made a sharp rattling noise. Falco pulled it out and laughed when he saw it. It was an orange-brown container with a white child-proof lid and a prescription stuck to the front. "Ha, Fox was always looking for these," he quietly chuckled to himself. For good measure he stuffed them in his jacket pocket.

Falco popped the canopy and climbed out. He balanced on the Arwing's nose and inhaled deeply, anticipating the familiar smell of burned rubber, oil, and synthetic fuel. Instead he was greeted with the foul stench of literal poison in the air, and he coughed for a full thirty seconds afterward.

"Well, never thought I'd miss the stench of a spaceport so much."

He hopped down and landed on the gravel lot, his boots crunching the stones beneath him. Using his wrist unit he closed the canopy and locked the ship. He glanced around suspiciously, noticing the looks the Arwing earned from passersby. Most were covered in grease, and many had frayed clothes. Thinking better of it, Falco pressed the lock command twice more. Then a third time. And a fourth. Okay, a fifth just to be safe. He didn't want the valuable cargo aboard being stolen, and Fox would kill him if he ever found out something happened to his prized Arwing. He'd defeated Andross with this baby, after all. Though Falco realized it didn't really matter anymore. Fox was gone, light years away from Lylat. There was a good chance he wouldn't be coming back, so perhaps he should get used to flying Fox's Arwing.

Just to be safe, Falco sidled up to one of the Transport Bureau's security officers, who currently patrolled the rows of ships. He drew close enough so that no one would notice the credit chip he slipped him. "Hey," he said out of the corner of his beak, "keep an eye on her."

The officer glanced back at the white and blue-painted Arwing, then nodded knowingly. He pocketed the cred chip as Falco walked off whistling.

The avian kept his head low as he marched to the north gate. He joined a line of miscreants waiting to get out, who one by one passed through the raised steel portcullis. Transport Bureau guards occasionally checked their baggage, but only if they were 100% sure their search for illicit goods would turn up empty. Security was lax even before the war. Now it was even more so.

When Falco arrived at the toll booth the custodian stopped him. "ID," the grizzled vulture asked, eyes half-closed.

Falco produced a plastic card from his wallet, and the vulture seemed impressed he even had one. They were always more disappointed when they _weren't_ bribed.

"Ah, Cornerian card," the custodian rasped. He entered the card in the database and printed off a slip before handing both back. "Hang onto these, you'll need them. Service fee is doubled if you can't produce them to get back in." The vulture waved him through. "Good luck."

The blue pheasant passed through the gate, instinctively ducking even though the portcullis was locked high above his head. When he was out of earshot he snorted. "Pfft, 'good luck!' Not even so much as an 'enjoy your stay.'"

Now Falco was out in the open, traversing Zoness's streets. Like most cities on the ocean planet, District 13 was an artificial island that floated on the waves. It followed a cyclic current around the planet, often coming in contact with other districts along the way. Large flotation devices hidden beneath the grid-like streets kept the city afloat, while underwater propellers corrected its course if need be. But the city's surface looked like any other run-down port.

In many ways it was the same city Falco had left two or three years ago. The same grime covered walls, trash-strewn alleys, and clogged sewers. It was just…everything seemed so much worse now. Buildings were bombed out, entire homes and offices destroyed, and piles of crumbled bricks were swept together on every street corner.

Falco's face clenched. The odor in the air was almost unbearable. The seas and atmosphere were so polluted that a thick gray smog hung low over the entire city, limiting visibility to not even a block and a half in any direction. He remembered when, on a clear day at sunset, he could look down a western road and see the sun sink between the waves, lighting all the buildings a warm orange. It didn't even matter that everything was in disrepair then; the sun could still make the garbage-cluttered streets beautiful. But not now.

He folded an arm over his beak, using his jacket sleeve as a sort of filter to breath through. It was also an excuse to keep his head down low and his face covered so that no one recognized him; not only from his past as a member of Starfox, but he had also gained a certain level of infamy on the local streets. Many people he passed wore surgical masks over their faces, or even gas masks. They were especially unnerving when a bird passed by with a full beak mask, seeming like harbingers of plague.

The streets were mostly occupied by trash. Trash like he used to be. Even Andross knew this, which is why he turned the planet into a massive waste dump. Most of the species he saw walking the streets were avian or feline, but there was also a good number of reptiles. More upstanding individuals walked the streets in the suffocating gray light, while unsavory members of society hung around the shadows in the alleys. He passed a few prostitutes waiting outside nightclubs, who made sure to cast flattering, seductive words his way. Of course they wore the loudest, ugliest outfits to gain attention, and the same applied to their heavy makeup. Still, Falco couldn't stop himself from casting a few gazes their way. You couldn't find women like these on Corneria.

Eventually Falco stopped in front of a familiar bar; The Angler's Lure. Just the sight of the neon letters and intimidating anglerfish painted on the window was enough to make Falco's head spin with memories. _It hasn't been that long,_ he asked himself, _has it?_

The bird ducked through the door, which rang a wooden windchime over his head. Inside it was dark, the sunlight filtered through dark blue curtains. A large aquarium decorated one wall, notably empty, but still clean. A few patrons sat at the polished wood bar, while others sat around tables playing cards or muttering to themselves over their drinks. Falco scanned them quickly to make sure he didn't recognize anyone he needed to avoid, then sat down on a bar stool.

In a few seconds the bartender moseyed over to him; the swan wore a black vest over a white shirt and was absently polishing a glass. A black crop of feathers over his trim beak made it look like he had a mustache, but that wasn't the case. When he stopped by Falco he spoke with a wheezing voice, "Can I get you anything?"

Falco raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you gonna ID me first, Fazio?"

The swan started and looked up from his glass, eyes wide with recognition. "Why if it is not-!" the fowl exclaimed, but then caught himself and lowered his voice. "Falco Lombardi, it is really you! You little rap scallion! I thought I would never see you in this cesspool again."

"Yeah, well, I didn't think I'd find myself here either. So, can I have a drink while we talk?"

"Anything for you! It is on the house. And I do not need to see your ID either; I know you are still underage," the swan winked. "So, what will it be?"

Falco drummed his wings on the table. "You know, if there was something I missed from this hellhole, it was your famous Death's Lure. You still make that, right?"

The swan laughed heartily. "Of course, Fazio would be out of business if I did not! I have to warn you, it will not taste the same after…well, you know what."

Falco sighed. "Yeah, I know."

The bartender turned his back and began mixing the drink for Falco. When he was finished he slid the glass over to the avian, who caught it with his wing. "Well, there she is! Enjoy."

The avian looked down, marveling at the sight of it. "Death's Lure," as it was called, was made to look like the anglerfish's _esca_. The drink itself was mixed to a dark brown color; almost black, like the deep sea. But a phosphorescent jellyfish hovered in the center, glowing a murky blue color. Anglerfish lures, as nature would have it, didn't turn out too tasty. This particular jellyfish, on the other hand…

Falco lifted the glass and tilted his head back. "Well…bottoms up." He tossed a good amount of the drink back into his mouth, and it simmered the entire way down his throat. Death's Lure had a very harsh, bitter taste to it, along with a peculiar sour tang; it wasn't popular for aesthetics alone.

The avian sighed and set the glass back down with a sharp clink. "Wow! You've still got it Fazio. It does taste a bit different, but…you've still got it."

"Yeah, it is probably just the cadmium. Bureau of Reclamation is workin' on purifying the water."

"The Bureau of Reclamation?"

Fazio nodded. "Oh yeah, they existed before the war, but now they are, oh, maybe forty, fifty times bigger. They are all so _big_ and _important_ now!" The swan leaned his elbows on the counter, drawing closer to Falco. "So, what is your racket, friend? I thought you could not wait to get off this island. Fazio never imagined you coming back, especially now that the city, well…she looks like _this._ "

Falco took another swig and wiped his beak. "Really? I honestly hadn't noticed a difference. This place was a dump _before_ Venom got through with it. If anything, Andross identified the key appeals of District 13 and maximized them."

"Ah, you are kidding Fazio!" he waved his wing. "I heard about what you did to those invaders! You are a hero, Falco; I was never so proud of anyone in my life! To see a friend go from street urchin to gang leader to war hero in only three years…I was just amazed. But this Starfox gang; they were your ticket out of here, no? What made you come back?"

Falco began chewing on the jellyfish, which had an extremely fun texture and was steeped in brine. "Well, Starfox is over. It's disbanded. The leader vanished and I spent most of my reward money, so now I'm back here."

"Ohhh…" Fazio nodded. "Yeah, I been hearing things about that McCloud fellow. He is a little bit cracked, he is."

"Hey, don't knock Fox too much," Falco fired back. "That legend's living the _dream!_ He did what any level-headed kid would do and partied while he was young."

The cygnid raised his wings. "Alright, I see what you mean. Still not the best image for his outfit if you know what Fazio means. But you sure you could not get a job as a mercenary? It is a lawless time you know, not only in Zoness, but across the whole wide system. I thought you would have plenty of jobs throwing themselves at you."

The chimes rang behind them, signaling another customer had entered.

Falco shrugged. "What can I say. I got homesick. Especially for…" He raised his glass and shook it between them. Fazio nodded knowingly.

"Hey-hey, like I always say, you can get loads of fancy drinks on Corneria, but you can only get Death's Lure in Fazio's corner bar! But you should branch out sometime. I have the Stingray's Kiss, the Bloody Tide…"

While Falco drained the rest of his glass and Favio droned on, footsteps approached on the wooden floor behind the pheasant.

"F-Falco?" a young voice asked.

The avian turned to come face-to-face with a short feline. He stood a head shorter than Falco and had baby-blue fur. He wore a stained white jacket and sported a single tuft of yellow hair that curled at the top of his head.

Falco smiled. "Hey, how ya doing, Kitt?"

The cat placed his paws on his head and shook vigorously. "Holy shit, you're back! This is awesome! I need to tell like… _everyone!_ "

Falco glanced around the bar again and tugged at his collar. "Well, I hope that's the last thing you do. Fazio, can we get a private booth?"

The swan craned his long neck to check the tables in back. "Yeah, I think they look open. Help yourselves, kids."

Falco scooted off the bar stool and lead the cat into the back of the room. They stopped at one of the booths but found it occupied by an intoxicated tom cat. Falco and the kid exchanged glances, but the bird impatiently grabbed the drunk by the collar and dragged him out.

"Alright, sit someplace else old-timer."

The tom cat babbled incoherently as he stumbled over to another table. Falco and his friend sat on either side of the booth, though the bird checked the seat to make sure he hadn't barfed or left any other unsanitary liquids behind. When Falco looked back up he saw the kid unabashedly staring at him. He felt more uncomfortable with each passing second.

"…What?" he finally asked.

"You're back!" Kitt exclaimed. "I just…wow! A real hero sitting across from me! And my old leader, too!"

"Aight, well, you don't have to stare at me like that. Feel like I've got somethin' on my face."

"You do! It's fame and accomplishments!"

"The fuck is that supposed to-"

"Tell me everything!" Kitt pleaded. "You must have had so many bad-ass adventures since you've been gone, flying with an actual merc team instead of, well, _us._ "

Falco waved a hand. "Eh, I'll tell you about it later. I admit some cool things happened here and there…may have earned a few medals from the dogs…but I'm more interested in lil' ol' District 13. How's the gang doing?"

Kitt's ears flattened. "Oh. Well, not too good."

Falco couldn't help but grin inappropriately. "Heh, didn't last a minute without me?"

"Nah, we didn't. To tell the truth there's not even a gang left. My sister owns the mechanic shop she used to work at. Mouser and Bowser still pull a job every once in awhile, but I haven't seen them in forever, either. Bruiser needs repairs pretty bad; parts are scarce right now. Why? Why are you asking?" The blue-furred feline suddenly lit up. "You're not reforming the gang, are you!?"

Falco scratched behind his head and looked away. "Well, not exactly kiddo. See, I stumbled upon a highly valuable drug shipment. It just sorta fell into my lap, just like that," he winked. "I've never seen anything like them before, so I need Pukes to analyze them. She still around?"

Kitt shrugged. "I _think_ she's still alive. I mean, I haven't had a reason to stop by her lab since the war. If you're headed to Pukes's place, can I tag along with you?"

Falco tilted his head back and forth, weighing the option. "You know, I think as long as I'm here, I ought to pay your sister a visit."

Kitt looked down at the table, his voice mopey. "You know she won't be too happy to see you."

Falco was worried that would be the case. His gut clenched up in fear as he made the decision.

"I know that, but take me to Katt anyway."

X

"…Protests continue at the Cornerian National Mall for the second straight week. Their number has grown to over 40,000, many of whom are veterans of the recent war. Government authorities warn if they do not vacate federal property by-"

General Pepper turned the holoscreen off. He didn't have to listen to the news delivered to him on the television. He turned and stood at his open balcony, which overlooked the National Mall. Why watch TV when he could watch the events unfold right before his eyes?

"Chaos," he sighed, swirling the wine in his glass. "Pandemonium and utter chaos."

The illustrious general's mansion was one of several lining the western side of the mall. On the far side of the parade grounds and decorative parks stood the Cornerian Parliament building, overseen by representatives of districts planet-wide and presided over by the president. But covering the entire lawn in between were countless protesters. They'd brought tents, campfires, podiums, signs with sound bites and crude jokes aimed at the parliament. There were even performers that tried to entertain them, forming a sort of cottage industry around the protesters.

"What do you think, General?" the deep voice of his current house guest asked from inside. "You must have strong opinions on this debacle."

"I think it's a shame. A crime, even, that they have to be here. It's ironic we spent so many funds to memorialize the dead with extravagant statues and cenotaphs when we should have cared more for those that survived. Now my men must go without their promised bonuses and struggle to fit back into society." His heart went out to the veterans amassed on the grounds. "Many of these men look up to me; served under me. I feel so much regret. We coerced them into service with the promise of good pay and bonuses after the war, but now we can't pay them. They can't wait twenty years for their bonuses; they need them now, when the System is at its lowest."

"Too true. All the government can do is promise that, if they can just hold out a bit longer, good times are ahead."

Pepper turned his back on the troops outside, retreating into his parlor. Morgan Fredersen sat on a couch inside, holding a similar wineglass. His imposing black eyes never seemed to leave Pepper.

"Fredersen, are you a father?"

The bull nodded.

"Have you ever lost a child?"

"Yes. I…lost my daughter at the start of the war."

"Then you know the pain I feel. Forgive the expression, but I've lost many children in my time; perhaps hundreds of thousands. I mourn for the ones that died in my service, but I love the men that are still alive all the more dearly because of it. I can't stand to see them treated like this. I can't betray them. If President Finley doesn't repay those bonuses, I doubt he'll have another term. At least he won't have the military vote, I'll damn sure see to that."

The bull looked down at his wine glass, admiring its clotted texture and deep red color. "If only there were something more we could do. Of course I have many of my bank's accountants pouring over the legal aspect right now, and you're doing your best to sway the politicians, but maybe there's another option."

"Pray, do tell. I'm open to suggestions," Pepper sarcastically huffed. "I've gotten nowhere with these stubborn politicians. They just smile whenever I bring the subject up and make empty promises they never intend to pursue, all because they pity me."

Fredersen nodded. "There _was_ a time when they respected you. A time when you had actual power."

Pepper chuckled. "You mean during the war?" He halted in front of his dress uniform, displayed behind a glass casing. It sparkled with innumerable medals that he'd earned over the years, their gold trimming drawing his gaze as if they were magnetic. "Yes, I accomplished much. But that was during martial law. Now that the war is over things are back to normal, and I have resumed my rightful place at the head of the military."

"A pity."

One of Pepper's droopy ears raised slightly.

"That you are no longer the Commander in Chief, I mean. I must say you were marvelous in that role. It's one thing to oversee banks and business mergers, but I could never imagine running an entire planet. All I have at stake is money, while you had every one of our lives in your hands. Thanks to your decisions and leadership, Corneria came through against the enemy. You took this planet from a vulnerable, weak people to the strongest military might in all of Lylat in less than a year. Now there's so much red tape in the way of getting anything done."

"True…"

"Say what you will about despots, but sometimes you need a strong leader with extraordinary authority to enact change. Ironically, the way to defeat Andross was to mobilize the planet in the same way he did. Crises like this demand strong leadership. Finley…that poor man doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his people like you once did."

Pepper conjured up a reference of the ailing president, confined to his wheelchair. His thoughts were interrupted, however, by the sound of the roaring crowd. The hound rushed to his window, grabbing the rail and leaning out to see what caused the commotion.

"The police are clearing them out!" he exclaimed.

A sea of officers clad in riot gear pressed the throng of soldiers back. Several cans of tear gas launched into the crowd, and before long the grounds were dotted with miniature clouds. Pepper's eyes widened when he noticed several Cornerian tanks rolling onto the field. The tension was palpable in the air; his fur raised, as he could feel the pressure rising to a climax. A gap formed between the riot police and the protesters. More cans of tear gas sailed overhead, while rocks and soda cans pelted the officers. Several voices distorted by megaphones yelled orders and made demands at one another across the gap, but their words were lost on Pepper. Finally the protesters' rage boiled over. They broke rank and swarmed the police like a wave crashing on the shore. The unmistakable word "Fire!" rang out, and several gunshots cracked through the air.

Pepper gaped in awe as several protesters went down. Police batons swung through the air, and shields struck the rowdy mob. But it was far from one-sided; several officers fell under the blows of baseball bats and spiked boards. The tanks opened fire, but their shells only drenched the protesters in bright green paint. Regardless, it was a horrifying sight to behold. Pepper's fist clenched, and the wine glass trembled in his other hand.

"This is all wrong. How did we come to this? Only a few months after our victory against Venom and we've already turned to infighting. Cornerians need not fight other Cornerians. They both serve the same cause, yet brother must raise his fist against brother. My men are just trying to live, and the security officers are only doing their job. Why…why does it have to be like this?"

"It doesn't."

The seriousness in Fredersen's voice surprised Pepper. He tore himself away from the violence outside to look back at the bull. "What do you mean?"

The business magnate helped himself to another glass of wine. While lowering his head to the cup his eyes raised to stare over the rim at Pepper.

"Finley is impotent. The people respect one voice and one voice only; yours. The parliament holds no sway over them, nor can they satisfy their demands. I on the other hand have the funds to distribute all the veterans' war bonuses."

Pepper narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"My dear general, all good soldiers are opportunists. When they see the chance to strike, they take it. Well, I'm offering you an opportunity now. If you take command of the disenfranchised veterans, I'll pay their war bonuses."

"You…you must be joking! You're essentially suggesting a coup de tat!"

Fredersen paused briefly before flinging his head back and bursting into laughter. When the fit subsided, he said, "Well, one could call it that. But names and semantics get in the way, Pepper. The fact is Lylat was never ready to leave martial law. The System needs a strong leader to save it; one who doesn't have to wade through a spider's den of red tape. And you know whose webs they are; Finley, those clowns in parliament, and the bureaucrats squabbling about the letter of the law. Together, we can cut through the bindings and save the System from collapse."

"Was this your secret reason for stopping by?" Pepper looked at the bull as if he were totally alien to him. "I-I can't believe you're proposing something like this. The whole idea is preposterous, if not completely treasonous! Why, we could be arrested for just discussing such radical measures."

Fredersen shrugged. "No one can hear us over…" He nodded his head to the raucous din outside. "That. Pepper, the war never ended. It only changed form; the board's pieces shuffled and rearranged. In the end you and I are still fighting for the lives of civilians and honest men, and the wellbeing of every planet. To the politicians in that building out there? It's just a game. A game they force people like you and me to live by. Well, it's time we broke their rules. This isn't a game. It's real. And rules get in the way."

Pepper was at a loss. He set his wine glass down, suddenly feeling dizzy; and it wasn't from the buzz of the alcohol.

"No one cares about those men anymore than I do," he stated in a low voice. "But that doesn't mean I will become the very thing I despised to save them. I won't become _him_. The last thing this world needs is more divisions and bloodshed."

"There won't be any bloodshed," the bull assured him. "It will be swift and painless, like pulling a splinter. I don't see this as causing more divisions; it's bringing people together. The military complex and industry can join hand-in-hand. A sort of business merger, if you will. We don't need leeches like Finley telling us what to do. The government is a third wheel."

Pepper stared back at his glass-encased uniform, imagining the enticing world Fredersen so skillfully painted and dangled before him. But as the clock on his fireplace ticked on, Pepper shook his head.

"I'm sorry Mr. Fredersen, but I must ask you to leave."

The bull sighed and set his wine glass down. He stood up and walked to the door, but paused beneath the frame. Without turning back he said, "I'm sorry you feel this way. Perhaps in the near future, I can change your mind."

Then the businessman disappeared. With Fredersen gone, Pepper was left to himself. The sound of their conversation was replaced by the cacophony of noises from the parade grounds. He shut the glass doors to keep the sound out, but try as he might he wasn't able to silence the desperate screams, sirens, or screeching megaphones that assaulted his ears.

X

Dust storms. Finally, something Fox understood in this world that defied all logic. He was used to chaotic maelstroms of sand on his home planet Papetoon; in fact he welcomed the familiar discomfort. Of course the dust clouds were a mix of gray and white powder, but it wasn't so much the aesthetic as it was the way the grains pelted their fur.

Fox showed Krystal how to cover her eyes and face with her flight suit sleeve, and they both stumbled forward through the stinging sands.

" _Couldn't we have flown your metal beast across this desert?"_ Krystal's thoughts drifted his way.

Fox would've spoken his response, but the wind would have swept his words away, replacing them with a mouthful of sand. _"That's not really an option. The Cornerians could easily track my Arwing, and any ground forces native to your planet would spot us as well."_

" _This is awful! I can barely see you, much less where we're going!"_

Fox glanced back at the vixen, who made a pitiful sight. _"Well, at least the storm will erase our tracks. That'll make it harder for anyone to follow us."_

A little after midday the dust storm finally quieted down, but particles continued to float in the air, obscuring the horizon. They had finally reached the end of the desert; before them lay a flat body of water, shrouded in mist. The liquid had a peculiar rosy hue; almost like wine.

The vulpines paused on the shore, and Fox looked at Krystal. "So…can you swim?"

She blinked in response. "What?"

Fox sighed and shook his head. "Never mind."

The vixen crouched by the water and studied it. _"If you're suggesting we cross the "ocean" I think that's a bad idea. It stung horribly and burned our fur last time."_

"Oh, that was just Venom's acid ocean. Lylat is full of oceans that are actually quite beautiful and cool to the touch. Though we're not exactly in Lylat anymore. This is just water like the kind you drink. At least I think it is…"

Fox crouched down and removed his backpack. He rummaged through it until he located the environment analyzer. He held the fist-sized unit above the water and pressed a switch, which extended a thin metal strip. He dipped the sample strip into the water and held the device there for a few seconds. The analyzer emitted a short beep and allowed Fox to check the results.

"Well, it's water alright. Safe to drink, too. That still doesn't solve the matter of crossing it."

Krystal's stomach growled and she lay a paw over it. "Hey, Fox, can we eat now?"

Fox looked up at the noon sky. "Yeah, I guess it's about lunchtime. Now that the storm's over we won't get sand in our food either."

Together they set up camp on the shore. Fox rolled out a blanket from their pack and set out the food he'd brought. Krystal grimaced when she bit into the space rations.

" _Oh, this is awful. It's so bitter."_

Fox chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that, but I wanted to pack lightly. This food has the highest nutrition ratio to volume."

" _Come again?"_

He thought for a moment. "Uh, I mean it doesn't take up much space, but it'll fill our stomachs real good. Plus it lasts longer."

" _Still, it's so gross…"_

"But it's healthy. There's an old saying that goes, 'if it tastes good, it's bad for you.'"

" _Well that's just stupid. Why make healthy food taste bad but unhealthy food taste good?"_

Fox frowned and cast his eyes down to his space rations. "It's more complicated than that…" he mumbled.

Krystal smiled at him mischievously. _"You don't have to pretend you know why when you clearly don't."_

The tod inwardly fumed. To cover his annoyance he reached into the pack and pulled out another food item. "Here, I packed you a nature bar for dessert. I know you like them."

Krystal caught the bar after he tossed it, eyes lighting up. "Thank you!"

Fox grinned as she tore into the bar, wolfing down the mix of nuts, chocolate, and sugar glaze. Then he turned his gaze to look out over the water. "Now we just need to figure out how to cross…"

His ears straightened when he heard Krystal giggle. "What's so funny?" he asked, looking back.

"Your face," she laughed, "it's covered in white!"

Brow furrowing, Fox bent over to check his reflection. Sure enough, the rippling tod staring up at him was caked in white sand. He sat back up and gave Krystal a smug smile. "You know, you look pretty silly yourself. Dust storms will do that to you."

"Oh!" Krystal mimicked Fox and leaned over the water to study her own reflection. "Does it come off?"

"Nope. More and more of it cakes up over time," he teased.

"Oh stop that!" Krystal laughed back.

"Fine. It should wash right off." Fox removed his fingerless gloves and rolled up his sleeves, splashing water on his wrists and fingers; they'd gathered quite the amount of sand while shielding his face. Next he cupped water in his hands and splashed it on his face. His chapped skin rejoiced as the liquid rejuvenated it.

"Wow, this sand gets everywhere," Krystal said aloud while Fox wiped his face with his shirt hem. He heard splashes beside him as Krystal began to rid herself of the sand as well. When he finished drying he scooted back up the shore and parked himself on the picnic cloth. Absently he watched the vixen clean the sand from her face while putting his mind to the current obstacle in front of them; the lake.

 _"Brr, this water's cold. It's not like your warm shower water."_

The tod blushed at the embarrassing memory. _"Hey, uh, could you please give me some space for a bit? It's hard to brainstorm while listening to someone else's thoughts."_

 _"Oh, sorry! I'll be quiet."_

Finally with his headspace all to himself, Fox concentrated on formulating a plan. If the individual Krystal heard was on the other side of the water like they thought, they'd have to cross eventually. Maybe he could summon his Arwing from afar, but that would alert the Cornerians trailing him, and they'd just follow it straight to him. Perhaps they could walk around the water, if it was only just a lake or smaller. But they couldn't tell for sure; it might turn out to be a river or a sea, or even an entire ocean between them. If they waited for the fog to clear…

Suddenly the fur on Fox's arms stood on end, and his skin tingled. He heard what sounded like faint whispers, but they seemed to come from every direction at once.

"Krystal, is that you again?"

" _What? I didn't say anything."_

"That's funny. I swear I heard voices in my head. And it almost felt like you were reading my thoughts again."

" _I don't sense anyone around, but something seems…different. Like everything's muffled."_

Was it the fog? Fox thought to himself.

" _Wait, I see something out there; over the water! A strange light…"_

"What!?"

Krystal pointed out over the pink water. "There! Can you see?"

Sure enough, Fox spotted the light shining through the fog, almost like a lantern.

"I don't trust it. It might not be safe."

" _But I recognize it's thought-speech! That's the source of what I've been hearing!"_

Fox ground his teeth, torn by their predicament. On one hand the light shrouded in mist could be anything, perhaps even an enemy. On the other hand they'd walked all this way to find it, being the only sign of an intelligent creature on the planet.

The light made the decision for him. It began to shrink back into the mist, threatening to disappear.

"W-wait!"

Fox hurriedly rolled up the cloth and stashed their supplies back in his bag. Timidly he waded into the water, expecting the bank to drop off to a deeper level at any second…but it never did.

"It's shallow…" Fox said in awe. "I think it's a land bridge that might cross the lake. Come on, before it disappears!"

The two vulpines hurried after the beacon, which threatened to vanish at any moment into the fog. They had to solely rely on its guidance, as the rosy mist obscured everything around them, and one misstep to the right or left could result in a plunge down the drop-off.

Krystal seemed frightened by the murky water; she'd never had to wade through something so deep, and anything could be lurking beneath the surface. She was still getting used to the denser liquid, and how difficult it was to find purchase on the sandy floor. But Fox noticed her plight and held her hand tightly.

"Hold onto me, and keep your eyes forward! Anywhere I walk is safe."

For several minutes they awkwardly trudged through the water. Fox was forced to put his faith in the glowing figure, trusting that it wouldn't lead them astray.

Eventually they were rewarded with the other side of the lake. The fog shrouding the water dispersed when it came in contact with the shore, allowing for a much clearer view of what lay behind. The upward-slanting shore was covered in a dense forest made from the most beautiful trees Fox had ever seen; their feathery branches wore shawls of purple blossoms that dazzled the eye. In fact, the entire forest looked painted violet because of it, and fallen, dried leaves covered the ground in a mahogany carpet.

The glowing phantom they pursued raced up onto the shore. It seemed to take a well-worn path into the forest, but it paused between the trunks. Fox and Krystal slid to a stop before stepping onto the dry bank. Why had it halted?

Now that the light was out of the mist Fox could see it more clearly. From its size and stature, the relative shape of the head, and its triangular ears, Fox realized it was vulpine just like him. However, the creature had an ethereal presence; light danced across its fur, making it almost too bright to look at. Fox and Krystal shielded their eyes, but the young tod stubbornly peered over his arm at the other fox.

Fear and awe seized his heart; the vulpine turned its head and looked at Fox, making eye contact him. By its facial features it was…female. Her face was difficult to make out beneath the halo of light, but the longer Fox stared the more he recognized her.

Eventually he lowered his arm and stepped onto the shore. "No…you can't be her…" Fox felt an immense wave of hope coursing through his veins, urging him on. He couldn't control the emotional high he felt, so powerful it was. It overwhelmed him, urging his legs to sprint and bring him forward. Fox was entirely focused on her warm, loving face, blocking out all other stimuli. So entranced was he that he couldn't hear Krystal's thoughts screaming at him to wait…

Then, as if in a dream, his progress suddenly slowed. His legs seemed weighed down like lead, and his arms struggled to move. It felt like thick, ghostly webs clung to him, impeding his progress. He was almost floating in place, suspended between the trees only halfway to the angelic vixen.

" _Fox, stop! She's not real! Her thoughts keep repeating like they're-"_

Before Fox's eyes the glowing vixen flickered out, her light no longer illuminating the forest. Naught but her afterimage remained on his eyes.

Leaves on the ground rustled. One by one, a group of ominous figures appeared from behind the tree trunks. They wore dark-colored cloaks indistinguishable from the tree bark, and they covered their faces with hoods and veils. Their feet were bare, but they carried wooden walking sticks. They were the first sentient beings Fox had seen on the planet, but meeting them in a situation like this was the last thing he wanted.

Instinctively the merc reached for his blaster and drew it, but the hooded figures took notice. Without explanation his hand was seized by a wave of painful cramps until his fingers nearly bent backwards, dropping the gun. In seconds the assailants surrounded him. One of the hooded figures produced a rope from the folds of their cloak.

"Nīe, lassuru kare ghen!" Krystal screamed behind him.

Fox tried in vain to listen to her thoughts, but a dark mist seemed to keep their minds apart. Twisting his head back he looked over his shoulder. "Run Krystal!" he shouted.

But rather than leave him the vixen charged onto the shore in a futile attempt to save him. Two of their attackers grabbed her arms from either side and struggled to hold her still. The vixen snarled and fought with them, threatening to break free. Eventually she stopped moving, but she wasn't done fighting yet. She closed her eyes, and without even raising a hand, one of the attacker's heads snapped back. The figure fell to the ground, their cloak billowing around them.

"Holy shit, nice!" Fox cheered her, but their moment of victory was short-lived. A third opponent stepped up to Krystal and placed a paw on her head. Krystal fought for a moment, but tremors began to wrack her body. She grit her teeth together and growled, but it turned into more of a whimper by the end of it. Her eyes rolled up and then back into her head, until Fox could only see the whites. His jaw dropped when the girl's entire frame fell limp.

"Krystal!" he desperately called. He tried even harder to break himself free of the invisible strands that held him, but it was no use. "What did you do to her!?" he snarled.

The figure that had incapacitated Krystal turned around and approached Fox.

Now that they were right up in his muzzle, Fox was able to make out certain facial features. Beneath the hood and veil Fox saw azure fur and glowing aquamarine eyes beneath long, dark lashes.

"You're…you're Cerinian!"

The vulpine cringed, realizing he was probably going to experience the same fate as Krystal. Mentally he prepared himself for whatever torture might assault his brain.

"Alright then. Do your worst."

But when the Cerinian stopped in front of him she merely raised her wooden staff…and brought it crashing unceremoniously down on his skull.


	16. Captive

X

Mission No. 16

Beltino Orbital Gate  
CDF Military Hanger

Captive

X

Hydraulics hissed as the door to the personnel airlock slid open. Bill ducked inside, footsteps ringing out as his boots struck the metal floor.

"Welcome aboard the Justice _,_ Captain Grey!" a beagle officer saluted him.

Bill returned the salute and swiveled his head to take in all of the Cornerian cruiser he could. Behind him his wingmates Miyu and Fay clambered aboard, their jaws opening in awe as they studied the interior. Eager to board behind them were the rest of Husky and Bulldog units.

"Say, you really are getting up in the world!" Fay said while looking around.

"Yeah, the last thing I expected Pepper to do was give you a your own ship." Miyu spoke in a quiet voice so that the others couldn't hear. "Looks like that meeting with Pepper couldn't have gone any better."

"Like I say, the general is a gracious man. He's strict when he needs to be, but he still cares about his men."

The beagle officer that initially greeted him left his post to stand in front of Bill. "Lieutenant Baines at your service. Glad to have you aboard sir! If I may, I'm scheduled to give you a tour of the ship."

"Well then lieutenant, proceed!" Bill beamed.

The officer bowed his head slightly before turning to lead Bill, Miyu, and Fay down the passageway. The rest of the troops in Bill's command fell in rank behind them, but they couldn't conceal their awe at the impressive ship they marched through. Bill felt like he was walking on clouds; he could never have predicted such a positive turn of events for himself.

From outside the Justice looked sleeker and more aesthetic than any of the past Cornerian cruisers. Most larger battleships were manufactured on short notice after the outbreak of the war, and therefore visual design was the least of their concern; an afterthought, even. The Justice's design on the other hand made Bill think it served an ornamental purpose; perhaps a flagship with a ceremonial function.

The more he saw of the interior, however, the more he realized he was wrong.

Stationed along the outer wall of the passageway were gunnery posts made for broadsiding other ships. While the cannons were compact to fit the nature of the sleek cruiser, they were deceptively small; Bill's brow raised at their impressive caliber.

The hanger they passed was mostly empty, but crew members were already bustling about in lime-green jumpsuits. Cranes resembling robotic arms loaded the ships of both Husky and Bulldog Units into the docking bay in preparation for their mission. Bill looked on with pride as his own newly-painted ship was carefully lowered to the deck. He was impressed by how spacious the hanger was; it stretched between the port and starboard sides of the cruiser and could easily fit both unit's fightercraft with room to spare.

Next Lieutenant Baines lead them through the galley and mess-hall. Bill's men especially gawked in wonder at the stainless-steel utensils and polished surfaces that they could almost see their reflections in. Everything was spotless; in fact, they'd never seen a kitchen or mess hall so pristine and untouched. It looked as if it had never been used before- which was almost true. Already shiny silver pots rattled on burners, steam rose from boiling pans, and skillets sizzled with frying grub. The smells wafting from the galley mercilessly teased their nostrils and stomachs.

A group of Bill's men whispered among themselves and seemed to come to an agreement. They marched up to Bill and saluted him.

"Sir! We volunteer for KP duty!"

Bill placed his hands on his hips and burst out laughing.

"We're serious sir!" another soldier spoke up. "When's the next inspection we can fail so we're sent here?"

"Don't worry, you'll have your chance," Bill assured them.

Baines took note of the conversation and struggled to suppress his smile. "Actually, the Justice is already equipped with a crew. Your men will mostly serve combat positions and have minimal duties aboard the ship."

"Still, if your guys ever need a break…" the first soldier added, looking hungrily at the galley.

"If I may sir, why don't you release your men for lunch?" the beagle suggested. "Us officers can finish touring the ship alone."

"Baines, that sounds like a good idea," Bill agreed. "Alright men, you are dismissed for lunch. But when I come back I want this place looking just as spotless as when it came out of the shipyard! We've been gifted with a beautiful vessel, which is more than you lot of mixed-breed maggots ever deserved. Let's keep it from looking like the rest of our rusted buckets o' bolts. Company, dismissed!"

His men lined up in front of the galley while a few of his officers, including Miyu and Fay, stayed with him. Together they followed Lieutenant Baines to the rear of the ship where the bridge jutted out above the stern. The command bridge outright stunned Bill; it was outfitted with all the cutting-edge advancements that were products of the last war. The crew's stations were loaded with the newest technology for remote viewing, tracking, and targeting positions, as well as advanced holoscreen projectors that Bill wished he could personally own. Finally, placed above the crew pits at the back of the room, stood his very own captain's chair, surrounded by controls and viewing screens. It almost looked like a throne for a king, and Bill's spirits soared when his eyes alighted on it.

All of this was his to command.

Miyu stood at his side and whistled, while Fay said, "Wow, isn't this a bit…excessive, just for hunting down Fox?"

Bill shook his head. "I know it looks that way, but you have to understand what we're up against. His mothership the Great Fox is one of the most powerful dreadnoughts in existence, and Fox is Lylat's best pilot; it'll take all of us to bring him in alive. He's also kidnapped a girl with…certain powers, and we don't know their true limit yet. Nor do we know what lies on the other side of that gate."

"Geez, they're really keeping us in the dark over this," Miyu grumbled.

"That's to be expected. The Cerinia Project is one of the most secretive projects the military has. I understand Pepper's desire to keep it under wraps. I expect to be briefed on it in due time, but the rest of you may be kept in the dark for as long as possible."

"And how long will that be?" the lynx asked.

"Until the General deems it necessary. You may not hear anything significant until we make the gate jump, when outside communication will be impossible and there won't be any leaks."

"You don't really know, do you?"

Bill sighed. "No, but that's my best guess."

Lieutenant Baines cleared his throat behind them. "If it makes you feel any better, I haven't been fully briefed on the mission either. I don't have much more information than you."

An electric chime rang, and another officer's voice spoke over the ship's intercom. "Captain Grey, your presence is requested in the hanger bay. Captain Grey, your presence is requested in the hanger bay."

"What's that about?" Fay asked.

"I have a hunch the General Dynamics representative has arrived," Bill informed them. "Pepper told me he'd be coming."

"You think it might be Beltino himself?" the spaniel's tail began to wag.

Bill smiled as he remembered meeting Slippy's exuberant father during one or two Academy-related events. "One can only hope. Now you should return to the mess-hall and get your lunch; I'll stop by as soon as this matter is taken care of."

"Alright, but you better hurry," Miyu joked. "Before Fay eats it all, of course."

"Hey!"

X

Bill entered the hanger bay at the same time as a research shuttle. The craft still bore the Space Dynamics emblem; a blue S in a circular shape, with the bottom curve forming the D. An Arwing soared above the top of the letters, as if it had finished writing them in the sky. During the Lylat Wars the Arwing was great for marketing; now with Fox's fall from grace, it was a good thing the company merged with Phoenix Corp so they could rebrand without it.

Bill approached the shuttle and planted himself a few yards away, clasping his hands behind his back. The spacecraft extended its landing gear and delicately settled onto the floor. A boarding ramp descended to the deck, and the shuttle doors opened with a hiss. Bill looked up expectantly, searching for Beltino's squat silhouette against the bright backdrop of the shuttle's interior, but he couldn't see him. Instead a female form with a bushy tail appeared in the doorway. When she emerged from the cloud of exhaust Bill was greeted with a vixen between 30 to 40 years of age. Her fur was a dark carmine red, and her auburn hair sat in a neat bun on her head. She wore a white dress shirt and pencil skirt while carrying a tablet under one of her arms.

She paused for a moment at the top of the ramp, head swiveling as if looking for someone. When her eyes alighted on Bill she looked satisfied and descended the ramp towards him.

Bill was rather surprised by her appearance; she was completely opposite of what he'd expected. All he managed to splutter out when she stopped in front of him was, "B-Beltino?"

The vixen cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

The captain felt embarrassed and did his best to recover. "I-I mean, is Beltino Toad with you? I was expecting him."

When she spoke her voice was rough and gravelly. "I'm sorry, but he was never assigned to this mission. The Research Director is still needed for the Venom Reclamation Directive. But I am his assistant, Dr. Marjorie Makepeace."

She extended her paw and Bill took it. For an instant he was tempted to kiss it as if she were from a prominent family; such was the effect she had on him. But instead he gave his warmest handshake.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Captain Bill Grey of the Justice. My ship is in your service, ma'am."

"Thank you." She withdrew her hand and adjusted the tablet beneath her arm. "I am here to handle the Cerinian we will use to locate #28. I know you were perhaps expecting someone of a more…prominent rank, but I assure you I am more than qualified."

"Oh, forgive me!" Bill rushed to say. "It was my mistake for assuming. Beltino Toad is an acquaintance of mine; I was only looking forward to catching up with him. I do not doubt your qualifications if he sent you."

Dr. Makepeace grinned. "Well, just so there is no doubt, I will clarify. I am Assistant Research Director at General Dynamics. Lately I have overseen the Cerinia Project, so I will have the best experience in handling and caring for the research subjects. I may also be much help with McCloud. I was his personal physician after the war and I understand the mental strain he is under."

Bill's expression brightened. "That's great! I've been really worried about him. We used to be close friends and even participated in a couple battles by his side. I can't help but think that Fox is a completely different person now. This just isn't him. It sounds like, if anyone can bring the old Fox back, you can."

"Yes, well, PTSD can make one act in irrational ways. I'm afraid he hasn't been taking the medications prescribed to him, which explains why he has hysterical delusions and behaves compulsively. But restraining McCloud is only one of our goals." Behind the vixen General Dynamics staff began unloading cargo and equipment from the shuttle, and the hanger crew rushed to help them. "I am not sure how much General Pepper briefed you on before he departed, but #28 is essential to the Cerinia Project; which may be the key to saving Lylat from post-war collapse. The potential to save billions of lives from poverty and ruin is riding on this project."

"Oh, of course! I understand that 28's capture is just as important."

"Good. At first my superiors at General Dynamics were worried her escape would set the project too far back; time is precious, you see. But I convinced them that 28's escape may be a blessing in disguise."

"How so?"

"Cerinians are a unique species with psychic abilities. However, these powers are locked inside their brains and need to be coaxed out. Andross's method was…brutal, to say the least. He tried to forcefully gestate their powers using pain…" Bill noticed that her eyes seemed to stare off into the hanger, looking at nothing in particular at this point. "Obviously methods like this are immoral and why he was exiled in the first place. But, 28's return to her home planet may have a potent effect on her psyche. She can meet more of her people and develop her powers among them, while also recuperating from the suffering she experienced under cruel hands." Dr. Makepeace looked back at Bill and cleared her throat. "Still, there are many dangers that threaten her. Cerinia is…a perilous world where many evils can befall her. But what exactly those threats are I will explain to you at another time. Just know that they are like nothing you have ever faced. They are the reason you were gifted with such a powerful and advanced ship. After all, these extra soldiers are not for subduing McCloud."

Bill gave her a confused look. "I'm sorry? But I thought Fox was our biggest threat. It's imperative that we capture him for the crimes he committed against-"

Dr. Makepeace threw her head back, laughing. When she finished she smiled at him, but something about her eyes put him on edge. "Ah, you young soldiers are so adorable. I know of your recent failures, Captain. You are desperate to capture McCloud and redeem yourself in Pepper's eyes. Let there be no mistake." She pointed to herself emphatically. " _I_ am in charge of the recovery mission. I am a civilian employee, not another one of your military subordinates. I give the orders; not take them. But I will often defer to your judgement because of the different skills you possess. This is a joint venture, but let it be clear that the general gave _me_ the final say in all matters."

"I-I'm confused," Bill stuttered as he looked into her fiery eyes. "I thought Fox was our main-"

The vixen shook her head. "McCloud is our secondary objective; #28 is our primary. I will not have you jeopardizing this mission because of a personal vendetta against your former friend. If he should interfere with the project in any way that puts 28 in danger, he is to be terminated. Yes, McCloud is disposable." She leaned in closer to Bill, fixing him with her teal eyes. "Are we _clear?"_

The canid was taken aback, but he quickly recovered and bowed slightly. "Yes, ma'am," he said with a cold edge.

The vixen sighed. "Good. We are not enemies, Captain, but I need you to understand the dire consequences of this mission should we fail. It is also imperative that we have our roles…delineated. Just so there is no confusion about the chain of command."

"I understand. Will that be all, Dr. Makepeace?"

The vixen pivoted to look behind her, checking the workers' progress on unloading the shuttle. "Yes, for now. Once we have our supplies transferred, and your military equipment is finished loading, we will leave for Cerinia." Her eyes rose to the shuttle ramp as a new group appeared in the doorway. "Subject 19 is disembarking now. It will be your duty to protect her during the mission; she is a valuable asset, necessary for finding 28."

Bill watched as #19 descended the ramp. Two Cornerian guards dressed in heavy combat armor marched in front of her, while two walked behind. The Cerinian wore an odd-looking hospital gown that doubled as a straitjacket; the sleeves were extremely long and dragged against the floor as she walked, while black clasps bound her arms together in front. The gown's hem ended above her knees, but her legs still bore similar black clasps that could be easily locked together to further restrict her movement. Her feet and lower legs were bare, and her claws clacked against the steel floor as she walked.

"Is she…safe?" Bill asked, eyes focused on the young vixen.

"Quite harmless," Dr. Makepeace assured him. "Most of her powers are now dormant, but we must be wary. I understand that you've met her before, under…certain circumstances. In fact, she may owe you her life for not immediately gunning her down. She is in your charge now, Captain. Pepper's orders. But I will be nearby in case any…anomalies occur."

Subject 19 and the four guards marched past. The young Cerinian kept her eyes down, avoiding Bill's stare. The captain thought back to when he had found her covered in blood, cowering on the floor of Venom's labs.

But before she passed, time seemed to slow for a second. When nearly parallel with Bill her eyes darted up to meet his, and they shared a brief moment together. Then the exchange ended, and the guards whisked her away, marching deeper into the Justice.

X

Fox's mind hung suspended in a dark chamber. Everything was black and fuzzy; indiscernible. At first he heard nothing but silence, but the quiet grew louder and louder in his ears, screeching like an unbearable siren, clanging like the klaxon on a disintegrating ship. Worst of all was the pain he felt in his head, which almost matched the migraines he experienced after the war, but not quite; the concentration of pain wasn't behind his eyes, but at the top of his skull. He sensed himself flying through muddy trenches, covered by clouds. Then he fell down, down into a bottomless pit that twisted and turned and crackled with electricity or some form of convulsing light. The passages began to split left and right. Left and right, and left and right, left and right and leftandrightandleftand-

 _"Maranga!"_ a voice whispered. It was quiet and distant, but still carried a harsh tone.

The vulpine moaned in response. Slowly Fox's bleary eyes opened, receiving a glazed distortion of the world. The more his eyes cleared, the more he could make out. He knelt on a hard stone surface; probably a large boulder embedded in a cliff side. It was dull and silver, and cool to the touch. The rocky shelf was clouded by more of that accursed pink mist that seemed to rise from somewhere behind him. He turned to look, spotting the edge of the cliff not too far behind him. He was able to make out treetops and perhaps a drop off to the lake below, but something restrained him from turning around further.

To Fox's horror, he realized he was bound on his knees to what felt like a large grave stone pressed up against his back. His arms were tied with rope behind him, and his wrists already chaffed from the brazen material. To make matters worse he was completely naked, and the cold moisture in the air made him shiver.

Then it all came flooding back to him; the lake, the light that lead himself and Krystal to the opposite shore, and the veiled Cerinians that accosted them on the other side. It all ended with one of them bringing a wooden staff crashing down on his head, and Fox involuntarily flinched even from just the memory. And now he was bound to a rock out in the wilderness with nothing but his fur, at the complete mercy of his captors.

"Shhhhit…"

He had to work fast, before they showed up to execute him…or worse. Desperately he tried to break free, but the ropes were securely looped through a hole carved in the weight stone. He tried forcing his hands through their rope bindings. He gritted his teeth and strained with all his might, his arms trembling from the exertion, but he only tore his fur and flesh already tender from the abrasive cords. Unless he dislocated his thumbs or gnawed his hands off, escape was unlikely- and he kind of needed his hands. But even if it came down to it he'd have to bend himself like a pretzel to get his teeth anywhere near the rope, which bound his hands behind him.

The fact was he had to escape, or risk torture and eventual death. And Krystal was still out there, possibly in the same bind. He had to get to her. Maybe he could lift the stone and drag it elsewhere…

Fox braced his feet and knees against the stone floor, trying to scoot the weight stone along with him. He skinned his knees painfully, but…was he mistaken, or did the stone wiggle a bit!

"Koe, herre-herre!"

The tod froze in place, eyes widening. His heart sank when he looked up to find his captors assembled a significant distance away. They stood side-by-side, watching him from the opposite side of the stone plateau. Even though their faces were covered by hoods and veils, something about them suggested…curiosity? Uncertainty? Even…fear? For what reason would they study him from afar, and for how long had they been watching him?

Fox nodded downwards to his naked form. "Uh, was all this really necessary?"

One of the seven figures approached, their wooden sandals clapping against the stone floor. They halted a couple yards away from him and shrugged off their hood and veil. Fox's mouth opened slightly when he realized the figure was Cerinian; perhaps the same one he'd come face-to-face with earlier. She had dark azure fur and piercing eyes that resembled aquamarine gemstones. At once Fox was both struck by her beauty and seized with fear. Her bearing, looks, and regal stature all bellied her humble clothes, as if she were somehow royalty.

When he realized it was a woman, Fox swallowed. He had never felt so ashamed or embarrassed of himself in his life. He knelt on one knee, using the other to cover his nakedness.

"So…are you the one that clobbered me?"

"Quai ko koe?" her sharp voice rang out, echoing among the cliffs.

Fox flinched when he heard it. "I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't know what you're saying!"

The vixen's eyes narrowed.

"I said, _who are you?"_

Fox's ears stood up. "You…you speak Cornerian! But how? I can't feel you in my mind like-"

"Be silent! Unless _I_ ask you a question, _rāgata,_ you are not to speak. Now, answer; who are you?"

The vulpine shrugged. "I'm Fox McCloud. You, uh…may have heard of me?" He gave his best winning smile, but he was already cringing.

The Cerinian's face remained unchanged, her glare just as piercing as ever.

"Well, okay then. I'm from across the stars, you could say. I come from another system that's many lightyears away. Last year the planets of my system were invaded by an evil force. I…" He considered explaining how he was a mercenary for hire, but felt it would win him more sympathy if he embellished his story a bit. "…I was a powerful soldier. I rescued my people from the rule of a mad emperor, and they look up to me as a war hero. Did you, uh, understand all of that?" he finished, timidly.

The vixen's lips curled back in a snarl.

"I-I'm sorry if I insulted your intelligence!" he quickly corrected himself. "It's just, by your clothes, you resemble people on my homeworld from hundreds of year ago; people who didn't know about star systems and planets and how to travel between them. I meant no disrespect."

"I assure you our garb is deceiving," she pronounced slowly through clenched teeth.

"It _is_ pretty and all," Fox mumbled. "But can I ask who you are?"

"I shall allow this one question. I am Mother Namah, the abbess of the village you seek."

Fox's eyes widened. "There's a whole village around here?"

"Silence!" the woman barked. "Know your place, prisoner. You are at our mercy. Now, you say you are from another star system. Do you belong to Lylat?"

Fox nodded. "That's where I'm from. The home I gave my blood defending."

A fire burned in his captor's eyes. "Then you truly are our enemy."

"What!?"

She stepped a few paces closer until she could reach out and touch him. Fox felt intimidated but he defiantly held his ground, refusing to shrink back.

"What are you doing here? What are your intentions?" she demanded.

"Look, I'm not your enemy!" he said forcefully. "I don't mean you any harm! I think there's been some misunderstanding between us."

"Then why were you hunting for our hidden sanctuary?" she shot back.

"Hunting is such a strong word. I was just searching for it with my…friend. I came to take her back home."

"Liar! You are using our sister to hunt down the rest of us. You are a scout who will summon the rest of your Lylatian army to take us away!"

"What?! No! I'm not…I'm not with them anymore. You could even say I betrayed them. I broke my ass rescuing Krystal, and now they're all after _me_ because of it! I only wanted to bring her back here, so she could find her family. Believe me, I'm not your enemy!"

She pointed a finger at him. "War heroes do not betray their cause overnight!"

Fox's ears lowered, and he felt ashamed. His head fell limp. "This one did…"

Namah crossed her arms. "You have only said a few words, and already your story is hard to believe. It wreaks of deception."

"Then ask Krystal!" Fox burst out. "Ask the girl that was with me! If anyone, you should trust one of your own. She'll tell you I'm only trying to help! And you better not have her tied up like… _this_."

"No! We would never treat our sister in such a way. But you are a male _rāgata_ and must be restrained."

"Then talk to her!" Fox exclaimed. "She'll clear this up!"

"We…cannot ask her right now," the woman admitted, hesitantly.

Fox remembered seeing this same vixen cause Krystal to faint in the lake. His blood boiled over, and he sprung at the Cerinian. His rope bindings pulled taught before he could reach her, but his bared fangs were enough to strike fear into the woman's eyes for at least a second.

 _"What did you do to her!?"_ he yelled at the top of his lungs.

The abbess stumbled backwards as his voice echoed among the cliffs, but one of the other Cerinians seemed to come to her aid. They took a few steps forward and waved their hand, causing Fox to fly backwards. He crashed against the weight stone, which cut into his back. He felt invisible fingers constricting against his throat, and he violently wiggled to be free of whatever held him in place, but nothing seemed to work. How does one fight what isn't there, even when bound?

But when his lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen, and his eyes started to roll back, the lead Cerinian gestured for her ally to stop. The cloaked figure bowed and receded into the ranks of others, and the vice-like grip around Fox's throat dissipated. The vulpine slumped forward, wheezing for air.

"You show concern for the girl," the leader continued. "Rest assured we have not harmed her. I had to subdue her mind to keep her from fighting on your behalf; your control over her must be strong if she would face all seven of us for your sake. We kept anyone from getting hurt."

"Hey, _my_ head's still ringing."

"Unfortunately she is still sleeping back at our sanctuary. She will recover in due time, but I do not know if I shocked her brain enough to wrest her from your control. When she awakens we will ask her for her side of the story. Now that she is with us, she is truly safe from the likes of you."

The Cerinian walked forward again until she towered over him. Her cloak fell open to reveal a beautifully-woven kimono of bright purple and blue silk, beneath which pressed her rather shapely frame.

"Now, tell me when the rest of your people are planning to attack," she ordered. "How many are there? What weapons do they have?"

Fox sputtered, at a loss for what to do. "This is ridiculous! How am I to respond to that when everything you're assuming is dead wrong!?"

"You are naïve if you think you can fool us."

The tod stared defiantly up into her eyes for a few tense moments. Then he merely sighed and fell back against the weight stone, resting his eyes.

"I'm done talking. I can see I'll get nowhere with you, so I'll just wait until Krystal wakes up. You're not getting anything else from me."

"We can make you talk."

"At this point I don't care. Fuck you. Good luck torturing it out of me, because you won't get anything that satisfies you." But in reality his blood began to run cold at the thought.

"Torture is unnecessary," Namah laughed at him, "but more importantly we frown upon such crude measures. Your mind will tell us all."

Fox relaxed a bit; at least they wouldn't try to break him with physical pain. His breather was short-lived, as the Cerinian leaned over and cupped his chin with her fingers, tilting his head back so he looked her in the eye. He focused in on her irises of blue-green fire, gulping. He did not like the look contained within.

She grinned evilly. "I sense fear in you. And I don't need to read your thoughts to see that."

Fox felt the sphere of her mind press against his own. _How do you block a mind-reader, exactly?_ he asked himself. It felt like his experience with Krystal all over again, except instead of keeping a curious girl out of his head, he had to stop his malevolent captor who had years of experience. He tried focusing all of his thoughts into one single image, but he had trouble deciding on what exactly. At first he focused on solid objects that represented barriers; nondescript walls, a block he used to play with as a child- wait, nothing from his childhood! A metal bulkhead inside the Great Fox, the cube of melted bodies far away in the desert- no, not that either!

Eventually he decided to focus only on what he could sense before him, attempting to empty his mind of all conscious thought; the rustling of leaves that drifted to his ears, the damp air against his fur, the rough stone beneath his legs, a fruity scent that hung like an aura around the Cerinian's fur, her firm fingers holding his chin, her intimidating but beautiful face…

"Your attempts to hide your thoughts are futile. I can see through you."

Fox's eyes jammed shut when she penetrated his clumsy defenses, and a shiver ran down his spine. All of his muscles tensed at once. Her mind effortlessly drifted into his, phasing together in a way that physical objects could not. His thoughts and memories were now at her mercy.

Then Fox had an idea.

Whenever Krystal peered into his mind, one of his biggest fears was he would expose her to sexual thoughts which came unbidden to most males. He buried them deep down and chased her out, but he had a feeling that was not an option here. So, rather than suppress them…

Like a damn breaking, Fox unleashed his wildest fantasies about what he'd do with the Cerinian priestess if he were unbound, all of which involved graphic, depraven acts. The ghostly images of what could potentially be aroused him, aided by his state of undress and the woman that stood over him, mentally assailing him.

Fox was pleased when he felt her breath on his face become short, and through their connection he could feel her pulse quicken.

"Never peek into the mind of a 19-year-old hormonal male," Fox said with a shit-eating grin.

She seemed taken aback at first, but her indignant expression melded into a knowing smile. "Typical. Men like you are as wanderers in a desert, blown to and fro by storms of powerful urges you cannot control. You are held captive only by your own unrestrained desires. As a race of psychic denizens I am well accustomed to seeing such immature thoughts. These urges are expected in one such as yourself, but a defense they are not. Now, reveal your true objective here…"

Fox tried harder to disgust her with imagined sexual acts, but she brushed them aside with ease. He felt the chains of neurons in is brain activating without his own bidding, bringing up strings of episodic memories. It had hurt once when Krystal saw them; but it hurt even more now that the Cerinian reopened his wounds and poured salt in their bleeding gaps. Namah skimmed through his childhood with deadly accuracy, discarding bits or entire spans of years she deemed irrelevant while slowing down long enough to see what she thought important. She lingered for the deaths of his parents, then skipped his brief fling at the Flight Academy. She saw when he left to lead Starfox and many of his adventures during the Lylat Wars. She saw how he defeated Andross and returned to be honored as a war hero; the celebrations he attended, but also the insane stunts he had recklessly pulled when he let himself go afterwards. She seemed to take pleasure in his fall from grace. Then she viewed his journey to Venom and how he escaped with Krystal, all the way up to his encounter with the Cerinians on the lake shore.

But while Fox's life flashed before his eyes like a train passing, he had the burning feeling that she was biased in what she chose to view, as if only confirming the theories she already had about him. She paid attention to the negatives while ignoring the good that he'd done. For every person he helped, for every life he saved, there was always a tiny flaw that she lingered on which erased his past deeds. Fox felt like he was being judged for the afterlife, with heaven rising further out of reach, and the gates of hell swiftly bubbling up to claim him. So many of these memories he'd suppressed himself, but now she dug them up and lay them out in the sunlight for all to see, their shriveled demonic forms curled in fetal positions, hiding from the light. Tears began to pour from his eyes, and waves of shame broke over him. Somehow she had managed to convince the savior of Lylat that he was little more than a flea- a betrayer of all his ideals and those friends he held dear.

Fox gave up. He stopped trying to hold her back. He was too focused on his own shortcomings that he didn't think to peek into his captor's own memories. He just let each new example of his failures she unearthed dig a deeper pit in his heart.

When she finished he collapsed onto the stone floor, curling up in a ball with his tail protectively wrapped around him. He quietly sobbed away, tears making faint noises as they scattered on the ground below.

The Cerinian backed away, folding her arms in her cloak sleeves. "I have seen all I need. You have prepared a façade of heroic deeds to cover over your own shortcomings. As a child you were enraptured by prospects of adventure. You didn't grow up to be a soldier or righteous knight. You were a mercenary for hire. Personal revenge drove you to kill this emperor, not love for innocent people. Then when you had fame and fortune, and accomplished your desire for revenge, you dropped out of the game and lived a debaucherous life full of sin and self-pleasure."

"No…" Fox whimpered.

"Then, when the longing for your parents returned, you kidnapped one of our sisters and brought her back here. You don't care for her anymore than she can lead you to your deceased mother."

"No!" he cried louder, "that's not true! Why do you hate me so much?"

"I do not trust you," she said coldly. "From what I have seen, you were involved with the project to exploit my people, and you have forced this girl to bring you to us."

"But you're ignoring what I feel! Why do you only care about my wrongs? I'm not a threat to you, I've turned my back on everything! I, I need a new home just as much as she does!"

"Oh, but you _are_ a threat."

"I'm just one man," he sobbed. "What can I do against people with your powers?"

"You pretend to be ignorant of your own potential. I have met many who have greater strength than us, but together my sisters and I defeated them. We have yet to learn if aliens such as you have a similar power. Young men especially struggle to contain themselves and keep from hurting others."

"But…but that's ridiculous! How could someone have so much power to-"

She dove back into his mind, fishing out the memory of the black, cube-shaped monolith and holding it aloft for him to see. "This…this is what you could do to us. This is what you could do to my people if we let you anywhere near our village."

Then she pointed into the pink mist, which parted like a curtain. They revealed another large boulder like they currently stood on, but it was shattered into thousands of fragments.

"Behold, the fate of our last prisoner. We gave them a chance to prove themselves, and they failed. They lashed out, nearly killing one of my sisters, and we were forced to execute them. That is why we keep you so far away from our hidden village, bound and naked as you are. That is why we parley with you in such large numbers. It is why my sisters dare not approach."

"I don't want to hurt you," Fox pleaded, "I swear I'm not your enemy!"

Namah paused for a moment, entranced with this pathetic mess before her. After a few moments she sighed and looked down.

"We will give you the same chance we give everyone, even if they do not deserve it. If you can prove you do not possess the curse, or at least can control its dangerous whims, we will let you live."

"But, but how? How am I supposed to prove a negative?"

"If you can stay here for three days, you will have satisfied me. If you do not have the curse you will not be able to break free and escape. Or, if you do indeed have powers but still choose to last out in the open, you will have demonstrated your control over them, proving you can stop yourself from harming anyone."

"What happens after I last three days?" Fox asked. "What do you do with me then?"

"You and your companion will not be allowed to leave. She will have seen our village, and you know where our doorstep is. We cannot risk you leading the other Lylatians here. But you will be allowed to live."

Fox struggled to his knees and met the Cerinian's gaze head on. He set his teeth firmly. "Alright. I accept. Not that I have any other choice. Three days is nothing."

"We shall see how long your conviction lasts." The woman spun around, her cloak furling behind her, and she began to walk towards her "sisters."

"Wait!" Fox exclaimed. "Just one more question, please."

Namah paused but did not look back. "Speak."

"That apparition thing you used to lure me into the ambush…it looked like my mom. How did you know to use her?"

The Cerinian still wouldn't meet his eyes. "Because we looked into your heart and saw that you missed her the most."

Fox didn't answer back. He just nodded to himself, understanding their actions.

"I'm sorry, child."

Fox looked up in surprise before the seven cloaked Cerinians vanished into the mist, leaving him alone as far as he could tell. His shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh. He flinched as the pain inflicted by the Cerinian's staff returned. These were going to be a miserable three days by himself.

"Well, guess there's nothing else to do but wait."

X

 _Author's Notes:_

 _I'd like to thank everyone who's been giving feedback! I appreciate it. Thanks especially to Ralphy-boy for pointing out a grammar issue that I've had this entire time. Well, excuse me while I go fix that in literally every chapter…_

 _Also, updates may start coming at a slower pace since my winter break ended. I'll do my best to keep them coming as quickly as possible, but they most likely won't be weekly updates. I'll see you all around next time!_


	17. The Matron's House

X

Mission No. 17

Cerinia  
Hidden Village

The Matron's House

X

Lavender light played on Krystal's eyes as her blurry world came into focus. She reached up and rubbed her heavy lids, wiping them dry. After blinking a few times, the blurred shapes took their proper forms and gained definition. Before long she realized she was in a room built from dark mahogany wood. She lay on a soft mat on the floor that wasn't anything like the beds on Fox's ship. Her head rested atop a feathered pillow, looking up towards the ceiling and the window on the opposite wall. Through the window she could see what looked like sparkling purple gems - or were those tree branches covered in blossoms?

" _Koe ko maranga!"_ a pleasant voice exclaimed.

Krystal startled and tilted her head to the side, bringing the voice's owner into view. She was surprised to find not some alien creature, but a vixen quite like herself. The girl's fur was a vivid turquoise, and she wore a set of white robes with black trim. She couldn't have been much older than Krystal.

" _Nas?"_ Krystal asked in Venomian. Then when the other vixen cocked her head she quickly corrected herself and switched to Cornerian. "What did you say?"

Still the other vixen showed no sign of understanding.

Krystal sighed in exasperation. _How many "languages" do I have to learn before everyone understands me?_ she despaired. _They all mean the same thing anyway. I guess I'll have to try another method…_

Still recovering from her long sleep, she reached out with her mind the same way she did with Fox. She felt herself brush against the other girl's conscious, but the vixen's eyes widened and she drew back slightly. Krystal stubbornly pressed on and eventually the girl gave in. She tried to be polite about it, only peeking into the portions of her mind that controlled speech.

 _Oh, so many new words to learn…_

Using the girl's own vocabulary, Krystal thought, _"Hello?"_

The other vixen finally nodded in recognition of the word. "H-hello…" she returned. Then she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before releasing it, regaining her composure. "Forgive me, I wasn't expecting you to commune thoughts with me so soon."

Krystal had a slower time putting her sentences together. _"I understand. I do tend to startle people, but it's the only way I can talk with you."_

The girl smiled warmly when she realized Krystal didn't mean any harm. "That's alright, but try not to enter anyone else's mind without their permission. It's impolite you know." Then the vixen bowed slightly, laying a hand on her chest. "I'm Māra, by the way. I will be your attendant while you stay in our village. If there is anything you need, please ask."

 _"Thank you, Māra! I'm Krystal."_ The vixen suddenly felt embarrassed that she still lay sprawled on the floor. She let out a magnificent yawn and stretched her arms, feeling warmth release from her muscles.

"How was your rest?" Māra asked.

" _I've never felt better! I feel like I've been asleep for days."_ Krystal finally sat up, the futon's covers falling away from her chest. She looked down and noticed she was dressed in a set of undergarments, but unlike the restricting, scratchy ones Fox insisted she wear, these felt loose and as soft as clouds. She didn't mind wearing them at all.

" _What are these?"_ Krystal asked, indicating the garments. _"They're very nice…"_

"Our clothes are woven from the silk of the spiders found in this valley. It's hard to find anything softer!"

" _This…valley?"_

"Yes, the Altaira Valley. That's where our village is. The mountains and mists keep us protected from outsiders. Well, most of the time." Māra giggled. "After all, _you_ found us here! And I'm glad you did."

Krystal's eyes slowly widened. _"You mean, there are more people like us here?"_

Māra dipped her head. "Mhm! We're a whole village, mostly of sisters like us. I can show you around if you would like me to."

The vixen's face brightened. _"Yes, I'd like that! Where I'm from there weren't many people like me; everyone was different. Even Fox was a bit different…"_ She met Māra's eyes again. _"By the way, where is Fox?"_ Krystal made sure to use Fox's Cornerian name instead of the Cerinian's native word for their shared species.

"Fox?" Māra repeated back to her.

" _That man I was with. He's here too…isn't he?"_ Krystal summoned several images of Fox and showed them to the other girl.

Māra's face blanched. "Oh, yes, I know who you mean. The outsider is…somewhere else, but not too far from here."

Krystal clutched the blankets tightly to her chest. _"I'm worried about him. These people with hidden faces captured us and put me to sleep. I don't know what became of him..."_

"Th-those were just the _Kaitaki -_ that is to say, the village guard. They were only doing their duty to protect us. I'm sure your…friend is just as safe as you are now."

" _Then can you take me to him?"_ Krystal asked excitedly.

Māra slowly shook her head. "Well…not right now. You'll have to speak to Mother Namah first."

Krystal slipped out of the covers and knelt in front of Māra, taking hold of her hands. _"Then take me to her, please!"_

The other Cerinian seemed taken aback by Krystal's forwardness. "Um, alright. But first you must put this on." Māra held up a silk robe similar to her own, which Krystal only now noticed had been neatly folded beside her futon. Unlike Māra's, hers was colored a teal green, and the soft fabric shone in the sunlight.

"Wow," Krystal breathed out loud. After accepting the robe from Māra, the two girls stood up. Krystal draped it around her shoulders and pushed her arms through the sleeves, but didn't close the front. Sensing she was unaccustomed to the garb, Māra took the sash and showed Krystal how to tie a bow to keep the rob closed. The vixen couldn't help but admire how light and airy the material felt; it allowed her fur coat to breathe, and was much more beautiful than the boring white garments she'd worn before.

Once Krystal was properly dressed, the girls left what Māra called the "infirmary," which Krystal understood to be like Fox's medical bay. She quite preferred it here though, as this one showed no sign of needles or cold metal servants. Together they stepped off the building's porch and onto a dirt path. Krystal made note of the many buildings that lined the road; all of which were fashioned from the same mahogany wood. The color resembled the trees of the forest that completely encircled the village. The overhead canopy of blossoms matched what she had seen at the lakeshore, and were soft violet in hue. Then, farther above the treetops rose the sharp peaks of grey mountains, but the sky obscured the tallest in pink mist.

" _It's all so beautiful here,"_ she thought to Māra.

"Mhm!" The other vixen smiled up at the purple blossoms.

Krystal fell in line behind her attendant as she lead her through the village. She cast curious glances at the people they passed; all of them seemed to be women like herself. There were Cerinians her age, some older women, and some girls younger than her. Their coats were all various shades of blues, purples, and greens; they ranged from sea-greens like Māra's pelt to Krystal's own shade of blue cobalt, and even lavenders and violets that matched the tree blossoms. Most wore silk robes like her own. Some were plain and white, while others were stitched with floral patterns and were even more lovely than the set Māra had given her. Though sometimes she spotted women wearing linen skirts and cloth chest wraps who looked like they needed to perform more physical tasks.

" _Are there any men here?"_ Krystal asked, continually scanning the features of the women they passed.

"There are a few," Māra admitted, "But you don't have to worry; they aren't dangerous."

Finally Krystal noticed a group of children run through the street, chasing some sort of rubber ball. They screamed and laughed as they raced after it, and Krystal thought she recognized more masculine facial features and hair on a few of them. The girls reminded her of herself when she was much younger…

Krystal studied several of the buildings they passed, taking interest in the activities that went on inside. One wooden structure was full of spinning wheels and rushing webs of string that sparkled in the light. The women inside threaded lines of silk across rectangular frames, weaving the multicolored strands together into unified pieces of clothing. Krystal narrowed her eyes and looked closely at what was producing the silk. They looked like small bugs; perhaps spiders, even, but none like she'd seen on Venom. These were undeniably adorable; their backs seemed to tower above the rest of their bodies like tall, fluffy hats. Their fur was white with cream-colored rings travelling down their thoraxes like raccoon tails. The caps wiggled and shook as the spiders huddled against one another, staring back at Krystal with curious sets of glassy eyes. Through whatever process, they seemed to be the origin of the silky strands as Māra described.

But as Krystal and her attendee passed, the wheels stopped spinning and the ropes of silk lay still. One by one, every Cerinian in the building had turned to look at her.

When Krystal stopped to stare back, they hastily resumed their work and pretended not to notice her. The vixen hurried on ahead to catch up with Māra.

" _Those women…why were they staring at me?"_

"Oh, you'll have to forgive them; they are curious because you're new here. They are just interested in you. It's always special meeting someone new, since our village is so small. We all know each other here. But don't worry, you'll get acquainted with your neighbors in due time."

At the far end of the village they came upon a winding path that lead up a steep mountainside. Krystal paused to take in the sight of the magnificent structure at the top: a mahogany hall larger than every other building in the village. Unlike most of the structures, its roof was fashioned from curved clay tiles, and the wood trimming curled upwards magnificently. At both the east and west wings of the building stood frameworks housing stacks of copper disks. From the towers ran a series of wires that branched out and scattered across the village, reminding Krystal of some of the ducts in the Great Fox. Whatever were they for?

"This is the Hall of the Matrons" Māra explained. "It's where Mother Namah and the Kaumatau, the elders, meet. Once in awhile all the people in the village congregate beneath its roof for celebrations and important matters."

Krystal's jaw hung slightly agape as they climbed the winding trail, and she often tripped over the steps while her eyes were focused on the building.

After passing under a series of archways they entered the central hall. It was quite spacious, having enough room to host a good amount of the village's inhabitants at once. Smaller passageways branched off to the left and right, covered by woven curtains or strands of glass beads. Intricate tapestries hung from bars spanning the spacious ceiling, and Krystal craned her neck back to be able to make out each one.

On the far side was a raised stage, though it only rose at most a foot above the rest of the interior. A dozen or so figures sat upon flat cushions, their legs crossed or folded beneath them. Each one seemed to wear a unique set of robes even prettier than her own. Krystal assumed they were the elders her attendant had spoken of.

Māra lead Krystal across the floor to the stage of elders, curtsying before them. "Mother Namah, I bring with me the village's newest member: Krystal." She used Cerinian, but Krystal continued reading her thoughts.

She spoke to the woman in the center, who, given the context, seemed to be their leader. She wore a purple-patterned kimono, the hem of which obscured the lower half of her body like a cloud. Her fur was a dark azure, and her striking aquamarine eyes were so bright they nearly glowed.

Namah tilted her head to Māra and thanked her in Cerinian, though Krystal dared not listen to her thoughts to find out exactly what she said. Then she nearly gasped when the matron's eyes fixated on her next.

"Welcome, Krystal, to the Valley of Altaira."

The young vixen was surprised when she spoke Cornerian like Fox. After all, Māra hadn't been able to earlier. "Th-thank you," she finally returned.

"I am sorry we had to incapacitate you, but you left us with no other choice. You did after all cause Sister Āni to faint." She glanced sideways, and Krystal followed her eyes to another Cerinian seated a few places down.

Krystal covered her mouth with her paws. "Oh! I am so sorry, I only did it to protect-"

But Sister Āni smiled warmly and laughed. _"It is forgiven, child. You did not harm me."_

Namah turned to look back at Krystal. "Still, you are young and untrained. You have the Curse **,** and must learn to restrain your mind. Lashing out with such immense power could one day inadvertently hurt those you love. But I understand that you have been away from our planet most of your life."

Krystal bowed, mimicking Māra. "Again, I am sorry, but I was only trying to protect Fox. I came here to ask you, where is he?"

"Ah, yes. Fox…" Namah's mouth hung open a bit, and a disappointed look came over her face. Rather than answering her question, she changed the subject. "…You must be hungry right now after a full day of sleep. Won't you have something to eat?"

On cue, two sisters emerged from a side passage, one carrying a tray of food, and the other a pillow. They set the pillow and tray before Krystal, curiously studying her all the while before retreating to watch her from the passage.

Namah held out her hand. "Please, sit."

Krystal seated herself on the pillow, but didn't attempt the cross-legged pattern the elders sat in. Instead she drew her knees into her chest and reached around for the food. Namah was right; she was hungry after such a long rest. Her stomach had felt uncomfortable pangs on her walk over, too. The food's scent beckoned to her, making her mouth involuntarily water. The Cerinians had prepared a meal of fresh fruits and sautéed vegetables for her, the centerpiece of which was some sort of tangy, uncooked meat. Krystal dug in ravenously, tearing into the meat and vegetables and washing them down with the luscious fruit. Most of these dishes were entirely alien to her tongue. There were bright yellow grapes that dangled in pyramidal clumps; purple, citrusy fruits that practically burst from their peelings; transparent, sack-like fruits carefully sliced open and held upright to present their nectar - and that was only scratching the surface.

"These taste so good," Krystal said in her limited Cornerian vocabulary. She would have spoken directly to Namah's mind, but remembered how flustered Māra had been earlier. Out of respect, and a little intimidated by Namah, she refrained.

"Aren't they delicious? We found them growing in the valley. The person that designed them undoubtedly had a knack for fruit."

Krystal looked up from one of the melons. "Designed? I heard fruit grew from plants."

"These are far from natural; someone put their powers to good use making them. It is a shame that more do not use the Curse to create rather than destroy…But you can learn of our village all in good time. I'm more interested in you, Krystal. I don't mean to disturb your meal, but please, tell me about yourself."

"Myself?" Krystal repeated through a mouthful of juicy food. "But, where do I begin?"

"Start with your memory of Cerinia, before you were taken away."

Krystal's ears flattened, and her head tilted down somberly. Fox had asked her the same question. Her answer would likewise disappoint Namah.

"I-I'm sorry, I have no memory of this place."

A sympathetic expression came over Namah's face. "Oh, you poor child. Do you have memories of when you were a young girl? Or did the Lylatians erase them?"

"It's hard for me to see my memories from when I was young. I usually try to forget them…All I remember was being in the lab."

"The lab?" Namah pressed.

"Yes. They, they did things to me. They wanted me to use my powers, as you called them. I never knew what for…"

Namah bowed her head. "I'm sorry, my daughter, that you had to experience that. But find solace in the fact that your suffering has ended! As long as you stay here with us, you will be safe. Altaira Valley is a haven for Cerinians like ourselves, hidden from the outside world. You'll never have to use your powers again, and no one will harm you here. You are free to stay with us as long as you wish."

Krystal fell silent for a moment, remembering each of the sights she had seen through the village. "Then this is my home…"

"You will have duties, of course. We will teach you how to craft or cook. We all take part in the harvest, too. But I assure you the work is manageable."

The vixen thought back to the giant creatures in the desert outside, worried they might find their way to Altaira. "Mother Namah, is the valley safe from, from-" She was looking for the word "monster", but hadn't properly learned the word from Fox. Without thinking she reached into Namah's thoughts, trying to access her language center, but found only silence and an obscuring haze. Her mind was closed off! Was Namah intentionally keeping her out?

Krystal quickly retreated, bowing in shame. "I'm sorry Mother, I thought you might know the word. I didn't mean to pry!"

Namah sighed, shaking her head. "It is alright, daughter. I understand that you are young and naïve, but there are things you must learn. It is impolite to peek into a stranger's mind; especially a matron **.** An awakened Cerinian mind is a dangerous thing. It is powerful beyond comprehension, and in the hands of a young woman such as yourself, a potentially deadly weapon. If you wish to stay in the village, you must learn to control the Curse. The Kaitaki will help you in your journey to self-restraint…But for now, it is admissible for your mind to speak directly to mine, seeing as you do not know Cerinian." Then Namah's inner voice spoke to Krystal, " _Feel free to speak with me in this manner for the moment, until you've learned more of your true mother tongue."_

Krystal felt relieved she didn't have to struggle to speak in Cornerian anymore. It also meant she didn't have to talk through her delicious meal and her mouth could solely focus on savoring the food. " _Thank you, Mother Namah,"_ she thought. " _But, about Fox…?"_

Once again Namah's expression soured at the mention of his name. _"I was hoping you would forget about him now that you are freed from his control, but it appears his conditioning is strong. You must understand my child, he is a Lylatian like the rest of them. He craves your powers and nothing more. He was only using you to find the rest of us. The lad is your enemy."_

 _"But that's not true!"_ Krystal clenched her fists while trying to raise the volume level of her thoughts. " _He does care for me! He has protected me all the way here!"_

Namah smiled condescendingly at Krystal, tilting her head and resting it in her hand. _"Did…did you just shout-think at me?"_

But Krystal ignored her. " _Fox isn't like them! If anything, he's their enemy. They were angry when he left with me and tried to stop him! He saved me from drowning and swept me away from the labs in a big metal creature. I trust Fox with my life!"_

This time, after her impassioned plea, Namah's expression turned serious. _"Well, I see now that your care for the Lylatian is genuine, and no product of his conditioning. Your story is from the heart, and it matches his. I see no other choice but to concede; Fox isn't with the other Lylatians."_

 _"Then where is he!?"_ Krystal pressed, looking around in frustration. " _Where are you keeping him? And why won't you let me see him!?"_

Namah's face hardened. _"Because, regardless of his own intentions, Fox is dangerous. He may very well possess powers of his own, and from past experience we cannot trust his word that he doesn't. To that end, w_ _e have bound him to a stone on the outside of the village, near where we first found you. He is a safe distance away, so if he breaks out and unleashes his powers upon us the Kaitaki will have time to stop him."_

 _"But this is ridiculous, Fox has no powers! At least, I don't think he does…certainly not like mine!"_

" _That remains to be seen. If Fox can contain himself and exhibit the proper patience or at least a lack of powers for two more days, we shall release him."_

Krystal leapt to her feet, spilling a bowl of food. "This is nonsense!" she exclaimed in Venomian. "If you don't release him right now, I'll-I'll…free him myself! And you better not get in my way!"

Several of the Kaitaki stood up as well, staring at her warily. The room was filled with a form of palpable tension, as if invisible walls surrounded her, bristling with potential energy. Notably, Namah remained calmly seated.

" _Do you really think you can best all of us and free him?"_ she asked. _"Krystal, have some perspective. If you wish for Altaira_ _to be your new home, making enemies on the first day is the worst choice you could make."_

"If-if Fox isn't here, I don't want it to be my home."

Namah studied her, searching her eyes to test the truth in her words. She seemed unconvinced. _"Regardless of your words,_ _the test must be finished. If you are confident Fox is honest and well-intentioned, why should you worry? He will pass and you can see him again."_

Krystal glared at Namah for a few more seconds, but eventually accepted there was nothing she could do. Rather ashamed, she sat back down and gathered the food she'd spilled. Reluctantly she returned to eating. " _Well, alright. Are you at least taking care of him?"_

" _The Lylatian is no weakling. He will survive the test. The only challenge is that he go without food or water for three days."_

No food or water? Krystal stared down at her own food, a veritable feast before her feet. The bite turned bitter in her mouth. Her stomach churned thinking about how hungry and thirsty Fox must feel at this very moment, somewhere off by himself, alone…

Guilt washed over the vixen, and she placed the slice of food back on its plate. No matter how ripe it was, it was spoiled to her. She had lost her appetite.

 _"Then, you promise, after two more days I can see him?"_

The elder Cerinian nodded. _"Yes my dear. In that time we will make you acquainted with the rest of the village, and you can adjust yourself to our lifestyle. I imagine it will be relieving after being cooped up in horrid laboratories for so long."_

Mother Namah turned to converse with another matron by her side for a moment. But while she wasn't looking, Krystal stowed away some of the food within the folds of her robe.

X

Falco and Kitt stepped outside the Anglar's Lure and onto the smog-covered street. Falco immediately recoiled at the near-noxious fumes that coated the city, retching in disgust. Kitt dug out an oxygen mask from his back, complete with a pair of mouth filters but lacking goggles. When he wore it he looked like some sort of overgrown insect to Falco; too large to step on but still not tall enough to be sentient and welcomed as a friend.

"Sorry, seems a pretty nasty cloud is drifting through now." Kitt's voice came through muffled.

Falco stared with envy at Kitt's mask. "What? Do you just expect me to suffocate in these fumes?"

The blue-furred cat raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I didn't know _the_ Falco Lombardi was gonna be here. Besides, I doubt your beak would fit."

Falco rolled his eyes and covered his nostril holes with his sleeve, using the cloth as a makeshift filter again. "Fine, let's make this quick. Pietro's shop isn't too far from here."

Together they set out for the repair shop in search of Kitt's adopted sister. Back when the Free Birds were still together, Katt was their resident mechanic. She always helped out with repairing their bikes after an over-indulgent night of reckless driving. She worked for old man Pietro in his repair shop, and out of Falco's gang, she had the most reputable job. Though she had been known to secretly gyp the Free Birds' enemies…

As Falco remembered it, the walk to Pietro's shop was only a few blocks. The closer they walked to the shop, the more he felt anxiety building in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't seen Katt in half a year, and their last run-in wasn't exactly the most pleasant of experiences. When Star Fox came to liberate Zoness Katt had helped in a commandeered Venomian fighter, but she'd essentially given Falco the icy-shoulder treatment. The last time they had met face-to-face was several years ago, before he abandoned Zoness and the Free Birds for Star Fox. Katt had never forgiven him. Even though every bone in his body and every lick of sense he possessed told him to steer clear of Katt, he knew facing his past was the right thing to do. Never mind that he'd never survive the outcome…

Then, like a lighthouse cutting through the sickly smog shone a neon sign that read "Pietro's Mechanic Shop", with most of the letters faded out or shattered. Now the remaining glowing letters merely spelled " **P** ietro's M **e** cha **ni** c **S** hop". It was crude and made for a good laugh, but Falco still welcomed the heartwarming neon letters that persistently beckoned him through the haze. After all, Pietro was a good friend and let his gang hang out in his shop whenever they weren't terrorizing the streets.

When they finally came upon the shop, Falco was surprised to see that it somehow looked even worse than he had left it several years ago; and that was when he thought it was already at rock bottom. The lightweight cement building stood three stories high, with most of the bottom two floors dedicated to a spacious garage. Rubble and broken machine parts sat in piles even taller than Falco, nearly blocking the triplet set of rusted garage doors. Altogether the shop would've been condemned by any self-respecting board of health, but then they'd have to condemn the entire city, so what was the point?

The pair gingerly stepped over a carpet of rubble and ducked inside a half-raised (or half-lowered, depending on your outlook) garage-door. Inside the roomy interior were several hovercars and bikes in various states of dissection; one was currently hoisted up above Falco's head. Shelves, racks, and carts occupied every available wall or empty space between the mechanical patients. Each was positively stuffed with tools, from blow-torches to assorted sizes of monkey-wrenches and screwdrivers. Some were even Frankenstein-esque amalgamations of the owner's favorite tools, like unwieldy Swiss army knives.

Kitt stepped forward, cupping his paws to his mouth. He shouted, "KAA-AATT!" his high-pitched voice echoing noisily in the crowded atrium. "Someone's here to see you!"

Then, for the first time in half a year, Falco heard Katt's voice again. "Are they a customer?" Her words drifted from somewhere else in the garage.

"No, it's-"

Falco desperately made a slashing motion across his throat, and Kitt took the hint. "I mean, uh, yeah, you could say that."

"Well, tell them I'll be with them in a moment."

Rather than waiting, Kitt guided Falco through the rest of the garage. Eventually they came upon a mostly-assembled car—not a hovercar, but one with actual tires as was most common in the streets of District 13. Loud, metallic clanking noises resounded from inside the machine, and underneath its belly sat a rolling car creeper. Most of the mobile panel and the person lying atop it were obscured beneath the vehicle, but Falco could make out a pair of work boots and jeans belonging to them.

Kitt lead Falco to the side of the car where they stopped. The two exchanged glances again but didn't say anything. After a few more seconds Falco cleared his throat. "Uh, hiya, Katt."

The tinkering noises abruptly ended with a loud _bang._ During the ensuing silence, Falco began to sweat buckets.

Finally Katt's work resumed, but at a slightly slower pace. "Kitt, ask Falco what he wants."

The blue-furred feline looked awkwardly back and forth between Katt and Falco. Finally he settled on the bird. "Uh, she said to ask you what you want."

Falco rolled his eyes. "Tell her I just want to talk with- ah fuck it, I'm not playing this game. Katt, quit avoiding me and pretending like I'm not here. I just want to talk."

Katt's tinkering continued. "Okay then. Talk away."

While Falco deliberated his next words, Kitt ambled over to a workbench, cleared a space for himself, and hopped up to watch. His tail flicked attentively as he spectated.

Falco scratched the back of his head. Instinctively he looked down at the floor, but realized that was exactly where Katt was and looked up again. What exactly was he going to say? He'd been meticulously running through conversations with Katt in his head on their way over, but now that he was finally here they all seemed to escape him. Nothing he came up with ever held up anyway; his mental strawman of Katt always struck down his pleas. Well, he certainly wasn't going to apologize for anything he did - he was damn sure of that. One of his rules in life was never to apologize.

"It's, uh, been awhile…" he trailed off, waiting for Katt to agree or something, but she never did. He coughed and added, "I've…missed you…"

"Oh?" Her disinterest couldn't have been clearer.

"Yeah, I've thought about you from time to time. Q-quite a bit, actually." He nearly went on to say more, but at that moment realized Kitt was still there, watching with curious eyes from the table. He glared at him. "You have something better to do?"

Kitt flinched and slipped off the bench. He jogged away in a hurry to escape Falco's wrath; his former leader couldn't afford Kitt witnessing him in such a humbled state.

As soon as the boy's footsteps died out, Katt spoke up. "So, as soon as the money from Star Fox is gone you come crawling back to me."

 _Well, at least she's talking to me,_ Falco thought to himself. "No, you've got me all wrong! I still have plenty o' dough left over from the Lylat War, it's just I've been telling people I don't have any so they don't start begging me for handouts and expecting me to pick up their checks 'n shit."

"That's at least in character. Now come on, how much do you want so you'll go away?"

Falco rolled his eyes. "I said I ain't here to borrow money. I'm on a mission; I need some chemicals analyzed by Pukes."

"You don't need me to find her, so drop the cover act. Level with me. Why'd you come to see me?"

"Uh…"

In truth, Falco didn't know himself. He hadn't quite figured that out yet; all he knew was that he _had to see_ Katt. Well, maybe if he tried explaining it on the fly he could reason it out for himself as well.

"I uh, wanted to check up on you. See how you were doing since…I left…"

"Well, I've managed just fine without you, thanks. Hell, even better without your insane hijinks. Now if you don't mind, I have some work to do."

Falco clenched his fists. "Hey, don't just blow me off like that. Is this how you treat old friends? I thought we had something going together."

"I did too, but I guess not."

The metallic clanking resumed. Each blow banged against Falco's skull, seeming to bore a hole straight into his brain. It was just as infuriating as listening to someone chew a peanut butter sandwich while conversing with them. Growing frustrated, Falco stooped over and grabbed the bottom of Katt's creeper, yanking her out. She slid from beneath the car stomach up, holding her tools and staring up at him with narrowed eyes.

"I'm trying to have a conversation here!"

"Well I told you, I'm busy."

Katt kicked his hand off the creeper and pulled herself back out of sight. A vein bulged on Falco's forehead, but he restrained his anger. He yanked Katt back out, who crossed her arms indignantly.

"Do you mind?"

"Listen to me dammit!"

Ignoring him, Katt rolled herself back under. This time Falco set his boot firmly on the creeper and slid it out. Katt grabbed onto the car's footboard and tried to pull herself back, but Falco bore down on his foot too hard. After a back and forth struggle, Falco finally pulled too hard and the creeper slid right out from Katt's back, barreling down the garage and knocking over a stack of car parts in a loud cacophony. Katt meanwhile landed flat on her back, arms and legs splayed as she glowered up at Falco.

"Nice."

Falco sighed and slicked his headfeathers back, trying to keep his composure. After a few seconds he offered her his hand, but she ignored it and struggled to her feet without him. When she stood upright again she leaned back against the car and crossed her arms, head tilted down.

"Fine, talk away."

For a moment Falco was distracted by Katt; he hadn't seen her in person in awhile. Her fur was dyed just as garishly pink as ever. Maybe it was just the grease, but it looked a little faded; more pastel than vibrant. She wore a bright yellow blouse covered in a green pair of overalls, altogether the same pallet as her usual attire, but intended for work in the garage instead of a night out carousing. Even underneath the dark patches of oil, ripped clothes, and irritated expression, she was still quite pretty.

After getting a good look at Katt face-to-face, his anger abated for some reason. He looked away and decided to stall longer. "Uh, you sure haven't changed a bit."

"Visually? No. But I'm a little wiser."

Damn.

He continued making small talk. "So, where's old man Pietro? Is he up and about?"

"Pietro's dead, Falco."

The avian flinched. "What?"

Katt's eyes were closed. "He died during the invasion. Hit by a Venomian shell trying to escape out the back. With him gone I just took over the shop. Wasn't exactly legal, but who's willing to make a big deal out of it? Pietro would've wanted me to have it anyway. Always said I was like a daughter to him…"

Falco's mood plummeted, Pietro's death weighing down in him. "Geez, that…that really sucks. He was an awesome dude for letting us meet here. I remember bringing our bikes home all banged up and riddled with bullet-holes, but he didn't even bat an eye."

"He was a sleazy old fart, but he was nice," Katt agreed. "It was fun…while the team was still together." Her voice suddenly took on a darker, more vindictive tone. "When you flew the coop the gang just fell apart. Stopped seeing each other. Stopped messing around. No one was there to lead us, so the rest all went their separate ways. Didn't even make sense to call ourselves the Free Birds without you. Then the invasion came and it was everyone for themselves. And after it all I was left alone to pick up the pieces, caring for an adopted brother and this broken shop by myself. All because you. Up. And. Left."

Katt had her eyes jammed shut and was visibly trying to breathe in slow, measured breaths. She reached up to her eyes and turned away, hiding her face. She fiddled with some tools in her belt. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a business to run."

Falco was floored seeing her this way. He didn't realize she'd be hurt _this_ much when he left.

"Katt-"

"Leave," she stated.

He took a step towards her and lay a wing on her shoulder. "Katt, look, I didn't mean for things to turn out like this-!"

The feline suddenly whirled around, brandishing a wrench. "I said _get out!"_

Flinching, Falco stumbled a few steps back. Katt wound up her arm and flung the wrench at him, the avian ducking just in time. As she readied another tool he dove over a stack of paint cans, scattering them in all directions. "Okay, I'm going, I'm going!"

He made a hasty retreat from the garage, stopping beneath the door to turn and pay her one last look. Katt had turned her back to him and leaned against the car, hunched over with her face buried in her arms.

With his shoulders slouching, Falco turned and left the garage. He kicked an empty tin can with a hollow clatter.

procedure 01: frntl. lb

X

 _Author's Note: Oh, did I say Fox would be held captive for three days? I MEANT THREE MONTHS_

 _…Yeah, sorry for the long wait._


	18. Acid Rain

Mission No. 18

Zoness  
Pietro's Mechanic Shop

Acid Rain

X

Still flustered from Katt's murder attempt, Falco stepped outside the garage. He shoved his hands into his pockets, head hung low. Kitt met him outside, though he was already wary of Falco's countenance.

"I take it things didn't work out, huh?"

Without looking at him, Falco shook his head. "No. No they didn't. Went about as poorly as they could go."

The blue-furred cat wrung his hands. "Aw, I'm sorry Falco. But I'm sure Katt will get over it eventually. Soon she'll be glad you're back."

Falco weakly nodded. "Yeah, I hope you're right." He wiped the bridge of his beak with a sleeve. "Say, Kitt, would you mind giving me a minute? I sorta want to be alone for a while."

Kitt nodded. "Course, I understand. I'll give you some space. But…you promise not to go anywhere without me, right? I mean, you only just came back and I'd hate to see you leave without visiting some more."

Falco waved him off. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'll be around; I have business here that should take at least a couple o' days. Don't know if I'll stay longer than that, but we can hang together anytime. Just for right now, I want to be alone."

The feline took a step back. "Alright, gotcha. I've got some deliveries to make down at Casey's Shipyard, so if you need me you can find me there. See you later!"

"See ya," Falco dourly returned.

Kitt set off down the sidewalk, disappearing into the fog a few blocks away, only to be replaced by other pedestrians travelling in and out of the mist.

Releasing a defeated sigh, Falco angled around to the other side of the garage. He knew Katt would tear him limb from limb if she found him still hanging around, but for some reason he still felt drawn to Pietro's shop. It was like he was paralyzed; he couldn't approach Katt again, but he also felt unable to give up and abandon her. What a fine mess he was in.

He came to a stop beneath an awning, turning to lean his back against the wall. By now the poisonous cloud of smog had passed, and the air smelled nowhere near as foul, but a thick fog still hung over the street.

"You're a piece of shit."

Falco patted around in the pockets of his jacket until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a sample vial he'd taken from the shipment of Venomian chemicals. He held the glass up to the light, studying the milky, iridescent substance in front of a streetlamp. Of course Pukes needed a large enough dose to conduct a proper analysis, but she wouldn't miss a little…

Without any further hesitation, Falco popped the top off the vial and drank a few drops. He had no idea what it would do to him, and he frankly didn't care. With any luck it might kill him, or at least give him a short high. It was a small dosage, but enough to taste the flavor; it was briny yet sweet, with a potent sour tinge. It tasted a bit familiar but he couldn't place it; certainly not with just a few drops.

With a sickening feeling of dread in his stomach, Falco corked the vial and slipped it back into his jacket. He took out a cigarette and lit it, drawing in a breath and blowing out a swirling cloud of smoke. One might tell you smoking is bad for your health, but it didn't matter in District 13. At least not anymore. It wasn't any worse than the rancid air he would be breathing normally. After all, pollution was a sacrament here, and he was contributing his part to the troposphere.

He began to feel a little lightheaded and worried what the chemical might do to him – but of course only after he had impulsively consumed it. Maybe it would turn him into a monstrous bioweapon. But then again he already felt like one after what he did.

In a few seconds Falco felt his anxiety disappear as the calming effect of the drug and cigarette took hold. He let go of himself and instead looked outward, taking in the street corner. A cloud of steam steadily rose from a vent in the sidewalk. Cars and bikes slowly rolled past each other, crossing in front of him as their headlights cut through the mist. A rabbit in a gas mask carried a box of air filters to an apartment door, pausing on the steps to fish the keys from his pocket. He was taking them home to his hungry children and bed-ridden wife who needed all the clean air they could afford. In an alley across from him a bum lay in a pile of trash bags; he hadn't slept on an actual bed for six nights, nor had a home-cooked meal in just as long. On the opposite corner a street musician sat against the wall, legs stretched out while strumming a peaceful guitar passage. She wouldn't accept any money, she just felt like doing it. All of them were trying to carry on like nothing had changed.

Falco tried to see it; District 13 the way it was before he left. A little less rust, a lot less rubble. Clear streets, blue skies between the buildings. Kids chasing each other down the alleys and getting into mischief. Couples eating beneath outdoor café umbrellas.

But he couldn't pretend nothing had changed. Not forever. He had tried to all morning, it just didn't work.

Unable to escape that reality, Falco took another puff and closed his eyes. He released the breath, letting his body slowly compress. He'd felt homesick for 13, but now he remembered why he wanted to abandon it so desperately. Maybe he could cut through the fog and fly somewhere else. The clouds of mist had turned darker; swollen and heavy as if it were about to rain, desaturated and grey instead of their usual pink. His neck felt sore from having to sleep against a veritable rock all night, but he was used to cockpits leaving a similar impression. It didn't help that his arms were still tied behind him and he couldn't properly lie down. All over he felt stiff and his muscles ached from being stuck in the same position going on two days now. His stomach felt like a mini singularity, threatening to tear him up from the inside out for lack of food. His lips were chapped and his mouth completely dried out. His head felt hot from dehydration; and that was on top of the headache he still had from when the Cerinian bashed his skull in the other day.

But most of all, Fox felt lonely. The last time he had seen any company was the day before, but it was only Mother Namah interrogating him and delivering ultimatums. The last time he saw Krystal was the day prior, which also wasn't under the best of circumstances since that was when they were separated. At least she was safe somewhere else, and probably treated better than him. Out here in the open, naked and essentially tied to his own gravestone, he felt even more alone. Had the Cerinians forgotten about him? Would they leave him to rot after three days, satisfied he didn't possess powers and couldn't hurt them if he wanted to? It wasn't like he could stop them.

A wave of fatigue set in, and Fox yawned hungrily for sleep. So far he'd spent two nights, one day, and this morning in captivity. He'd barely gotten any sleep. How was one supposed to drift off while tied on their knees to a stone? Even the hard rock ground was out of reach of his head, so Fox had to lie against the weight stone instead. It certainly didn't help his sleep any; he'd barely gotten more than a few winks. If only he could sleep now…but he was in too much discomfort.

 _Buck up,_ he told himself. _They'll release you tomorrow. They might come first thing in the morning or they might come at the end of the night; regardless, three days will be up. If you just suffer a little bit longer…_

Fox let his torso hang forward, his restraints going taught. His head slumped down, sweat-matted hair getting in front of his eyes. If he relaxed enough, maybe he could finally sleep – at least for a little while. But a thousand nagging voices cried out from all over his body, demanding he feed their needs. It was wearying…

Then Fox felt a soft, delicate paw cup his cheek, lifting his head up. When he saw who it was his eyes widened. Before him stood Krystal, but not as he had ever seen her before. While she possessed so much raw, natural beauty, it had finally been tamed and cultivated; it looked like she had spent the evening out with another friend who could properly groom her. Her hair was brushed and combed neatly. Her clothes were stunning; she wore a shimmering, teal green robe which was leagues above the unbecoming soiled lab coats and borrowed flight suits he'd previously scrounged together for her.

He blinked to clear his vision. _I'm hallucinating already?_ _Man I need to get more sleep._ Paranoia seized hold, and he jerked his head free of the vixen's hand. He spoke wearily; "You're…you're not Krystal. You're just another hologram projected by that witch."

Krystal seemed hurt, taking a step back and clasping her hands. "Wh-what? Don't be silly!"

"You trapped me once when you created a mirage of my mother. Now you want to trick me into telling you something, but it won't work again. Just…just leave me alone. Please."

The Cerinian looked hurt. She searched his eyes desperately for any sign of recognition. Then he felt a slight tickle in his brain as she combed for the proper words, but rather than communicate telepathically she spoke aloud.

"But Fox, it's me! Can't you see that? I'm-I'm real!" To prove it she held his cheeks in her hands again, reassuring him with her touch. That physical contact drove away any lingering doubt from Fox's mind about whether or not she was real. He felt ashamed for jumping to conclusions and being so quick to accuse her.

"I'm sorry Krystal, I-I didn't mean that. I'm not thinking too clearly right now."

When his eyes met hers again, a look of sheer pity came across her face. "You poor thing, you look awful!"

Fox's cheeks burned, and he was reminded of his state of undress. "Please don't laugh, and don't stare," he joked to mask his embarrassment.

But Krystal's eyes trembled with tears the more she looked at him, and eventually she couldn't hold herself back any longer. She knelt and threw her arms around him. "Oh I can't stand seeing you like this…"

Fox's hands were tied, and it pained him that he couldn't return her embrace. Still, he did his best to lean forward into her hug. "Hey, at least they're treating you well. I was worried about you." But then he pulled back to look her in the eye. "Wait, you shouldn't be here! The other Cerinians would be mad if they found out."

Krystal placed her hands on his shoulders. "It's alright! I snuck away without them seeing me."

Fox looked down and shook his head. "You went out on a limb for me again. Why…why didn't you run when you had the chance? I told you to escape when we were at the lake shore, but you didn't. You stayed and fought. You risked your life for me…"

Krystal smiled at him, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I couldn't just leave you, silly. Besides, where would I go? I'm lost without you."

Fox shrugged in response. "Well, you've got a point there."

His stomach growled noisily, as if a wild beast had taken up residence in his belly.

"Oh!" Krystal exclaimed, "That reminds me, I brought you something…" she reached within the folds of her robe and produced a handful of squashed fruit, flinching a little when she saw them. "Oops. I had to sneak these out of the Matron's Hall, so I hid them in my clothes when they weren't looking. They got a little…mushy." She opened the front flap of her robe, giving Fox a peek at her white stomach fur which the juice had stained a rainbow of bright colors.

"Hey, it's fine! I'm sure the flavor's still intact. I'm just grateful you brought food."

Belly aching, Fox instinctively reached for the fruit, but pain shot through his sore arms when the bonds held him back. "Damn. I uh, can't really feed myself with my hands tied like this-"

But Krystal held up a yellow-colored grape to his mouth. "Ahhhh!" She held her mouth open wide like a doctor instructing a child.

Fox's ears flattened back, and he felt a bit humiliated, but his desperation for sustenance won out. Leaning forward, he plucked the grape from Krystal's fingers and bit down, releasing a flood of sour juice into his mouth.

"Wow," he said while chewing. "This is really good!"

One by one she fed him each of the grapes(?) then produced the remains of a purple-colored citrus fruit. She frowned sheepishly. "That was all of the nice fruit. The rest got a little smashed."

"I'm so hungry I'd eat anything as long as it's dead," Fox reaffirmed. He bit into the purple orange and jerked his head back, tossing it the rest of the way into his mouth. Just like the grape, it tasted delicious but also alien. His only way to make sense of it was describing it in terms of flavors he already knew well, but there was still a foreign element he couldn't place no matter how hard he tried.

The last of the fruit she had to offer was nearly mashed into a paste that barely held together; it was an electric blue in color, and dotted with seeds. The interesting remains led Fox to wonder what shape it held before it was puréed.

"Sorry, there's not much left," Krystal warned, but presented it to him anyway. Fox eagerly attacked the fruit, inadvertently licking her fingers in the process. Krystal giggled at him. "Your tongue tickles!"

Fox's cheeks burned, but that didn't stop him. Between slurps he offered up apologies for licking her, but continued on. When he had finished licking her fingers clean, the vixen wiped them on her robe. She stood up and straightened her garb, which worried Fox.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Mhm! You need a drink."

Before he could stop her, Krystal turned and skipped across the boulder, disappearing into the pink mist.

"Wait, Krystal!" Fox called, but it was too late. "I hope she's not going to sneak all the way back to the village…"

But after only a few minutes the vixen returned, her hands cupped and dripping water. Carefully she knelt in front of Fox again, offering him the makeshift chalice. "You must be thirsty out here."

"Th-thank you." Fox leaned forward and sipped the water from her paws, then lapped up the small puddles that remained. When he was finished he sighed in gratitude. "Ah! That should hold me over until tomorrow…but you should get going. It was real brave of you coming to see me; I'm just worried they'll begin to miss you and come here looking. Then we'll _both_ be in trouble."

"But I can't just leave you here like this," Krystal pouted.

"I'll be fine; I lasted this long, I can last another day. Heck, I've gotten lost in the desert once and been out longer than this. Tomorrow they'll free me and everything will be…fine…"

Fox was interrupted by a huge yawn that left his jaw sore, and his eyelids began to droop. He slumped forward and pulled against the ropes, groaning. "I just wish I could get a little sleep between now and then…"

There was a short stretch of silence that ensued, during which time Fox nearly forgot Krystal was even there. Fortunately, the vixen took pity on him. With his eyes still closed, Fox felt her reach around him and touch the ropes around his hands. He highly doubted she would know how to untie knots anyway; not after being cooped up in a lab most her life. He'd already tried wiggling his hands free the night before, but all he'd succeeded in doing was chaffing his wrists more. Nothing short of dislocating his thumbs would allow him to-

The ropes suddenly took on a mind of their own. Like snakes they wriggled and crawled against one another until the knot came free. Taken by surprise, Fox fell forward into Krystal's waiting arms.

"What?" he mumbled. "How did you-"

But Krystal lay a finger over his mouth. "Shhh…just rest. You've been through much pain, and you need sleep."

With gentle hands she guided his head onto her lap, which Fox gratefully snuggled into. He lay his cheek against her soft leg fur, unable to ask for a better pillow in the world. For once he felt comfortable, like he could finally drift off into the sleep that so vigorously eluded him.

Krystal gazed down at his relaxed form in satisfaction. Comfortingly she lay a paw on the back of his head and began lightly playing with his hair. This turned out to be Fox's weak point.

"You can't stay here for long…" he whispered sleepily.

"I know. But I have some time. You just rest and let me worry about things."

A drop landed on the stone not too far from the pair of vulpines. Fox's ear twitched. He had felt a storm coming on all morning, but now the clouds were bursting. The drop was joined by another, then another, then a gradual acceleration until the couple was pelted by drops. Fox's fur was dampened by the deluge, but Krystal had the solution. She untied the sash around her waist and shrugged out of her robe, then stretched it out like a canopy above herself and Fox. The tod felt like a chick covered by the protective wings of its mother. Soon he was dry and shielded from the rain; all that was left was a gentle pattering that threatened to lull him to sleep.

"Doesn't this remind you of something?" Fox mumbled.

"Yes…it's like when we first met. I barely knew I could trust you then, but I'm glad I did." Krystal looked down at him warmly, her arms propping the robe up above them. Unbeknownst to Fox, a determined expression came over her face, but he could hear the resolve in her voice. "Fox, I promise we'll escape this together."

He shifted against her legs. "No…"

"We can't leave now; they have your pack and food. I'll have to go back and get it, maybe steal some more fruit so we can survive in the desert."

"I can't go. I have to wait it out so they'll trust me."

Krystal's voice lowered. "But Mother Namah and her sisters…they aren't nice people. At least, not most of them. They're mean and harsh! I can't stand them treating you like this. They remind me of…of…"

Fox had trouble staying awake, but he did his best to reason through the clouds of sleep. "It's fine. I understand why Namah or whatever she's called is doing it. They're just afraid of some dangerous things. Their only fault is they jump to conclusions. Don't you see Krystal? I have to pass their test, for you. We've finally found your family. This could be your new home."

"I don't care about my sisters," Krystal firmly stated. "And I don't care about my home; not if you're not there."

"But I will be," Fox insisted. "Cerinia…Cerinia is _our_ new home. Once I pass the test they'll let me go, and I can see you again."

"Well…we'll see."

Fox sighed, snuggling against her legs more. "You're hopeless."

As Fox drifted off, Krystal sensed the soreness in his muscles and took it upon herself to massage the stress from his shoulders. Finally, Fox was at peace as the vixen's rhythmic kneading lulled him to sleep.

Curiously, she peeked into his dreams. They were far from calming; the young tod envisaged the Cornerian soldiers closing in on him, or hooded Cerinians tormenting him; even monsters they'd seen in the desert swallowing him whole. Fox unconsciously shifted, and a disturbed frown darkened his face. It seemed even in sleep he wasn't allowed to find peace.

Distraught by the haunting visions she saw, Krystal fought them back. She quietly sang the lullaby she had learned from Fox's mother in the labs, hoping it would bring him relief like it had so many times for her. Within moments, the shadows torturing Fox's mind vanished, replaced by beautiful vistas of wilderness the vulpine imagined himself exploring. Krystal even caught glimpses of herself represented in Fox's mind, travelling by his side. A powerful calm came over him, and he stopped squirming from the nightmares. A pleasant smile tugged at his lips, and he rested.

While Fox dreamed and the rain poured, Krystal let the last note of the lullaby fade and set her mind to the details of their escape.

X

After half an hour the rain let up. It petered out into a drizzle, then an intermittent smattering of drops. Krystal didn't want to go, but she knew she had to leave; for both their sakes. Noiselessly she took the robe off the two of them and shook it out, casting bright speckles of water in all directions. Taking great care not to awaken Fox, she lifted him from her lap and lay him back against the weight stone. With much reluctance she tied his wrists behind him, though she kept the knots loose. She hated having to bind him again, but if the Cerinians happened to check on him before she returned their suspicion would be aroused.

Satisfied that Fox was as comfortable as could be, the vixen slipped her robe back on and padded away. She took one last pitying look at him, then turned and vanished into the rolling mists, her footfalls barely audible against the stone ground.

The last drops of rain fell, and the walls of fog returned like a curtain closing. Mirror-like puddles lay behind, reflecting the sky above through a translucent rainbow film. Rivulets of rainwater rushed through the cracks in the stone, converging upon each other till they flowed between the bars of rusted drain covers. A car drove by, splashing water at the avian's feet. The water hissed and steamed slightly; the precipitation here wasn't exactly the cleanest.

It was hard to explain, but the recent storm was one of the most positive experiences Falco had in his life. For once he'd felt complete. Like he'd been searching for something all his life, but now he'd finally found it. Then, once he'd gotten a tantalizing taste of this connection, it was just as quickly torn away like a loved one ripped from his arms. He was grateful for the momentary respite, but once again he felt alone.

A side door noisily creaked open before slamming shut. Falco flicked the cig away and looked to his right, noticing Katt's hunched shoulders as she walked towards him. Her head was tilted down so she didn't see him at first, but when she looked up and saw him she abruptly stopped. For a brief second Falco saw the redness in her eyes before she looked away again.

"Oh."

Katt reached up and wiped at her eyes, trying to conceal the act from Falco. His heart stopped for a minute, his gut churning in anticipation of what she might do. After all, she'd nearly pegged him with a wrench a half hour ago. But something about her was different now; most of her rage seemed to have collapsed into melancholy.

"You're leaving?" he chanced.

Katt sniffed. "Uh, yeah. Yeah. Just going scrapping."

"Anything in particular you're looking for?" he pressed.

She nodded. "Bruiser needs some repairs, but I don't have the parts. I've been looking for 'em for awhile, but no luck."

"Ah, that's a shame." Bruiser was a pet project of Katt's. She wasn't able to afford a service robot like ROB 64, so she had to construct him with the parts that were available. A mangled ship robot saved from a trash compactor, a few extra gears left over from a repair job, a vocoder box swiped from a vending machine…the list went on. Bruiser ended up being a sort of Frankenstein of other machines and service robots. He did much of the heavy lifting around Pietro's shop and guarded it in his absence. Now that Katt was the owner and short-staffed, his protection and service was all the more valuable. But more than that, he had a patchwork personality all his own, and the Free Birds regarded him as an honorary member. It was hard for Falco to hear Bruiser wasn't operational anymore; it was almost like hearing about old man Pietro's death all over again.

For a few moments they stood facing each other, but not meeting one another's eyes or daring to speak. They couldn't even move, trapped between their pride and the feelings they tried to ignore.

Finally Katt cleared her throat. She scuffed her boot against the sidewalk. "So, um…wanna come along?"

Internally Falco felt his heart soar, his fear abating. But outwardly he just shrugged. "Sure. Got nothing better to do."

Katt looked up at him, knowing that wasn't true. She could have easily brought up his "mission," but she didn't. She passed him and lead the way down the street, but Falco hurried up to walk alongside her. Even then, they kept their eyes forward and their hands in their pockets.

Together they walked to the nearest junkyard; there were several scattered across District 13. The closest was on the northern seaboard, 7 blocks away. Quite a long distance to travel in silence, but neither felt brave enough to speak at first. That changed when Falco saw the dump.

"Geez, it's bigger than I remember it. Usually stuff seems to shrink when you get older."

"After the war there was a lot more junk. More odds and ends and broken bits than people knew what to do with."

They made their way into the junkyard, which was loosely contained by a chain link fence, though it did little to keep the ocean of garbage in. Falco followed behind Katt, using his wings to balance as they stepped over the debris. Being a felid, Katt was much more agile. Ahead of Falco her tail swished back and forth while she jumped from object to object, rusted car to discarded refrigerator. It was hard to describe what was in the junkyard because _everything_ was in the junkyard. Like a black hole it was the final destination of all matter in District 13. There were banged up vehicles, skeletal carcasses of machinery, scraps of metal twisted beyond recognition, broken tools, and rotted food. A mass grave for the holocaust of time. It was entropy; everything falls apart.

Needless to say, the junkyard really got Falco down.

Regardless, he was used to scrapping. It was a ritual for everyone who grew up in 13. And once in awhile he'd get his hands on a real prize and go home happier than if he'd won the lottery.

Eventually Katt stopped, choosing a sector close to the open sea. The acidic surf crashed up onto the shore, but they were far enough away to be safe from the spray of the waves. They stood behind a dune, a mountain, even, of garbage that isolated them from the rest of the city. Finally they had some privacy.

"This is where I left off," Katt explained. "We can continue looking here."

Falco began poking through the piles of refuse with his foot. "Any parts you're looking for specifically? Or just robotics in general?"

Katt rattled off a few parts, counting them on her fingers. "28 centimeter shoulder gear, 3-axis accelerometer, and a 16 centimeter linear actuator: roughly. All of the other parts I've found replacements for."

The pheasant whistled. "That's a tall order, but we'll see."

They set to work scouring the garbage heap for the parts, but their attention was elsewhere than on their scavenger hunt. Whenever they picked up a case of tools or a bolus of wires and machine parts, they'd steal a glance at each other. If caught, they'd both look away quickly and pretend to be focused on their catch.

After a few minutes of bending over to sift through the rubble, Falco straightened up and wiped the specks of seawater from his brow. He happened to look up at the sky the exact moment the clouds parted and allowed a clear view of the sky. It was late into the afternoon now; almost sunset. Dark enough so that he could see a network of stars orbiting the planet. They sparkled like gold flecks reminiscent of holiday lights or gatherings of fireflies. Their movement about the heavens was almost imperceptible.

"Those the refugee ships?" he asked.

Katt glanced at him, then followed his line of sight up.

"Yeah. Anyone who could afford to leave, at least. Most of the wealthiest left Zoness after its image as Lylat's tourist destination was ruined. Those who had the money retreated to planetary orbit. Now they float safely above all the poison and chaos while we wallow in the muck."

"Geez…" Falco was taken aback by the vitriol in her words. "Isn't Corneria sending aid?"

Katt blew him off. "Pff. Like they care. They have more important stuff to take care of than a former vacation planet populated by lowlifes and mob bosses. They have to rebuild their own cities. Anything they _do_ send usually goes to _them_." She gestured upwards at the pleasure cruisers and yachts.

" _All_ of it?"

"Well… _most_ of it. They do give us filtration masks and shit. Maybe some food and medicine…but it ain't much. No, Corneria doesn't care about helping us. The people who vacation here think we're too far gone. There's no fixing Zoness. Why stay and dirty your hands here when you can just visit Aquas for the winter?"

"Aquas is flooded…"

"Hey, well at least it isn't polluted beyond recognition. You can hardly tell the difference between Zoness and Venom now."

Falco shivered. "Believe me, it's still a long ways off from Venom. It ain't that bad yet. Maybe if you'd gone with us all the way you would've seen how bad it gets."

Katt shrugged. "Eh, guess I could've. But I was needed around here." She set back to scrounging through the garbage.

Falco cleared his throat, changing the topic. "So…how long have you had that fighter?"

The feline's ears raised. "The Cat's Paw?"

"Yeah, the garish, bubble-gum pink one that matches your fur. You weren't hiding it from me when I was still around, were ya?"

"No, of course not! During the initial invasion the Security Bureau managed to shoot down a Venomian fighter without completely obliterating it. It crashed not too far from the shop, so I towed it in and fixed her up. Felt like I had caught a fly ball at a baseball game, ya know? Anyway, turns out it was an Invader III-class; the last of Andross's production line. Pretty special I got my hands on it."

"You fly her much?"

"Yeah, but I had to learn how. When it looked like a war might break out, I started learning on the Bureau's simulators like you used to. Then once I finally nabbed that ship I was able to put my skills to the test. Practiced flying through the rock formations, skimming the waves, shooting whatever weird sea creatures Andross mutated…I even sabotaged a few cargo transports in the night. Might've taken on a lone scout group or two…"

Falco nodded, impressed. "Wow. Keep it up; you might catch up to me one day."

Katt sighed. "I've spent my whole life trying to catch up to you Falco. It just isn't worth it."

"Ah." The avian thought for a bit. "…Is that why you tried flirting with Fox instead?"

Katt grinned knowingly. "So it _did_ get to you, huh?"

"What? Psh, _nahhh._ Of course not…" but he tried too hard to convince her otherwise.

"Come on Falco, are you really sore I made some passes at Fox when we flew together?" she pressed.

Falco pretended to be focused on a tangled mess of wires. He flipped over the junk in his hands. "Me? Sore? Why would I be sore? We weren't really going together anymore, so it's not like I cared. You're a free girl; you can do what you want."

Katt sidled closer to him, picking through the hood of a crushed car. "Well then, why were you so fixated on that?"

"Oh, no reason. It's just…were you really… _into_ Fox?"

Katt gripped her sides and laughed. "Oh my god it _did_ get to you! I'm sorry Falco. Honestly I just wanted to make you jealous."

Falco exhaled. "Phew, good. I mean, I just didn't think Fox was your type, that was all. You know, he's strictly milk-toast; a good soldier boy who'd always have his girl back before curfew. Couldn't imagine you going together."

"Yeah he seemed…a bit too focused on his work, if you know what I mean. That boy had bigger aspirations than chasing tail."

Falco placed his wings on his hips. "Heh, yeah. He always had his priorities mixed up. But…why'd you want to make me jealous? Was it just normal Katt being playful or…?"

"Falco, I'll level with you. I…I wanted to get back at you. For leaving like you did. I thought you didn't care about me anymore, so I wanted to see if you missed me as much as I still missed you." Katt set down the handful of car parts and leaned back against the hood, folding her hands over her chest. "What you did…it _hurt._ I know we all shared the same dream of leaving this floating island of junk one day, but once your chance finally came along…I wasn't prepared for you to actually take it. I wasn't prepared to be the one left behind. I thought I meant more to you…I thought I meant something…anything."

She sniffed and hid her face, wiping away another unbidden tear.

Falco looked down at his feet, cringing a little at all the rotten fruit and broken glass. He'd promised himself he wouldn't apologize. Falco never apologized. He was _the_ Falco Lombardi. He was too busy moving forward to waste time looking back. He was a free bird, and free birds do whatever the hell they want. If his moving on to a better and brighter future meant someone else got hurt, tough luck; that was their problem. They couldn't keep him from leaving the nest. No, apologizing was beneath-

"I'm sorry," he blurted out.

Katt met his eyes, mouth slightly agape and surprised.

"I think I learned a lesson out there." He gazed out above the garbage-strewn sea towards the grey clouds. "I spent all my life trying to leave and become a pilot. When I finally got my ticket off Zoness, I was so excited. I joined my first merc team, but…I never really fit in. Never liked the guys in it, and it was only ever for the money. I spent my paycheck the same way I spent it here; only the drinks were the width of an ass hair better. I never felt at home. I moved from merc outfits to gangs, then took a few solo jobs. Finally I found Starfox, and those guys – they didn't really have a home, either. Just a united vision for revenge and making Lylat a better place. I…I didn't really care for any of that. But I looked up to those guys; Fox and Slip and Peppy. It felt like home. Really they just reminded me of you. It felt like I was back with the Free Birds for once. I was homesick and lonely. When we came back from Venom as heroes, sure I enjoyed the fame and money for awhile, but…what was the point?"

He scuffed his boot through the garbage. "Anyway, now I'm back in District 13. I coulda had all that forever. I still have a shit ton of funds. Still have plenty of jobs lined up. But now I'm back. Now I'm here. I think…I think I'd rather live in this dump than a ritzy Cornerian apartment as long as…you're…you're h-"

Before he could finish, Katt stepped forward and buried her face in his shoulder. She leaned against him, and all he could do was stare down at her in surprise.

"Falco," she whispered, "That's just about the most schmaltzy thing I've ever heard you say. But…thanks."

Gradually Falco recovered enough to pat her on the back. "Yeah, well, I hope you enjoyed it, 'cause I nearly gagged getting' those words out."

They stood together for a few minutes, but Katt wasn't willing to let go just yet. For a moment the sun seemed to cut through the haze of clouds, casting their shared shadow onto the pathetic hill of garbage behind them.

When Katt pulled away she wiped her eyes. "Sorry, I just needed to know you were really back. How-how long do you plan on staying?"

Falco shrugged, feeling re-energized. "Dunno really. I only have to stay as long as Pukes needs to analyze these drugs I brought. Once she's done I'll report back to Peppy and then go gallivanting across the universe again on some wild quest. But…who knows. Maybe I won't have to go. Maybe this whole mess with Fox will sort itself out, and I can stay here for good. But, if not…maybe you can come along now that you're a decent pilot."

She glared at him, crossing her arms. "'Decent?'"

"Alright! A pretty damn good pilot. Once it comes time to save Fox's ass, we can go flying into the sunset together!" He gestured dramatically to the golden-orange sun as it dipped below the horizon. Somehow it still managed to make the plastic-strewn ocean look pretty, as the glass bottles and plastic containers reflected its orange beams like gems.

Katt sighed wistfully, staring into the sunset as she imagined the admittedly corny scene he painted. But eventually she tore herself away.

"Well, we have to get going. You don't want to be caught out here at night, and I need to close up shop for the day."

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

Katt turned to climb back through the garbage dump, but she stopped a ways away when she noticed Falco wasn't following her. She turned back.

"You coming featherbrains?"

Falco shifted his weight between his feet. "Uh, yeah, about that. I don't really have a place to stay yet…"

Katt's eyes narrowed. "Lemme guess; you want to crash at my place?"

The pheasant gave her his best winning smile. "How 'bout it?"

Katt bit her lip as she sized him up and down, intently debating with herself. She smiled.

"I wouldn't have you stay anywhere else."

X

"Okay, when you said I could spend the night at your place, this isn't really what I had in mind…"

Falco lay in the backseat of a broken car, suspended precariously a dozen feet above the garage floor in Pietro's shop. Katt stared up at him, hands on her hips.

"Aw quit complaining. You always said you preferred the air."

Falco clenched his fists and scowled, but luckily Katt couldn't see him. He heard her footsteps against the concrete echo as she left the garage. Then the lights switched off, plunging the interior into darkness.

"Goodnight, Falco."

The avian grinned. "Night."

The door shut, closing off the beam of light that lit the garage. Falco sighed and lay back in the car seat, arms folded behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. _Well, it's not the weirdest place I've slept. Not by a long shot._

Now left to his own devices, Falco reached up and slid the car's moonroof open, exposing the garage's ceiling. Through a skylight in the roof he was able to see the dark underside of the night clouds, and occasionally a twinkle of stars or ships between them. He sighed as he looked up longingly.

"Fox, wherever you are, I hope things are going as good for you as they are for me…"


	19. One-Way

X

Mission No. 19

Corneria  
Tetracon Vale Office Building

One-Way

X

His name was called, and the amphibian looked up to see a basset hound standing in the open doorway. He put aside the work he had been doing on his tablet, gathered his briefcase, and ducked inside the open doorway. The room was stark white and mostly empty. A large mirror sat on one side facing him. Too large, and lacking any frame. Suspiciously inset. A medical chair lay beside some technical equipment, and a laptop rested on a small cabinet.

The hound shut the door to the waiting room behind them. "Have a seat," he instructed.

The short frog hopped up onto the medical chair and settled in. The previous subject must've been tall, so the hound lowered the seat by absently stepping on a foot pedal. The canid sat on a swivel chair facing him, and the frog studied him while he typed away on his laptop. His fur was a patchwork of white, black, and brown splotches, and he wore a white dress shirt and blue tie. His ears were large and droopy, almost completely obscuring his eyes. But it wasn't his ears or eyes, or even any of the equipment littered about the room that scared the amphibian. It was the bulbous black nose he feared, seemingly large enough to sniff out any lie, no matter how concealed.

The frog forced himself to smile and appear friendly. He tried to make eye contact whenever the hound spoke to him, but his ears always kept flopping in the way. Well, he wouldn't get by on his non-existent charms. That relieved him a bit.

"If you'll please remove your…" but the hound trailed off when he lifted an ear from his eye and noticed the frog's feet didn't even reach the floor. "Er, nevermind. You can keep your shoes on." Once he finished typing on his laptop he swiveled to address the amphibian directly. "You may be a bit nervous if this is your first time, but please be at ease. If you have nothing to hide, you should have nothing to fear. This is merely a routine screening that we give to all our applicants. You are suspected of no particular crime, but we must make sure you are an honest individual with no ulterior motives. Now," he nodded his head to the pile of equipment, "the polygraph records physiological changes in your body. When you lie, your body unconsciously reacts with increased respiration, sweat gland activity, and blood pressure."

The polygraphist stood up and began hooking the amphibian to the machine. He started with a pair of rubber tubes, which he placed around his abdomen and chest. Next he attached two finger plates to his index and ring fingers. Finally he wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm. Once finished he sat back down.

"As a word of warning, if you employ countermeasures we will end the exam and no longer consider you as a potential candidate. Now, we'll start with an acquaintance test to check that the machine is hooked up properly and to acclimate you to the process."

He handed the frog an LCD writing tablet and stylus. "I want you to write down a number from 1 to 5. One-by-one I will ask you if you have written each number, and you are to deny each one; especially the one you wrote. Is that clear?"

The frog nodded and quickly jotted down "4", keeping the tablet facing away from the hound.

As he said, the administrator asked him if he'd written a 1, 2, or 3, with the frog denying it each time. But when he got to 4 and he denied it, the polygraphist stopped. "You chose 4," he simply stated.

The frog's mouth hung open, and a slightly fearful look came over his face. "Wow," was all he managed.

"Now we shall establish your baseline for honest answers. I'll just ask you some easy questions which are obviously true. Is your name Slippy Toad?"

"Y-yes."

The hound didn't even seem to be looking at his results.

"Are you 19 years old?" he continued.

"Yes." At first Slippy showed visible signs of nervousness, but calmed down as the questions continued and he became familiar with the process.

"Are you currently in Tetracon Vale?"

"Yes."

"Are you applying for a cyber security job at Dawson-McLean Security?"

"Yes."

"Do you sometimes drink water?"

"Yes."

The basset hound typed up some notes, but he was probably just pretending. "Before continuing, I must remind you that we take honesty, integrity, and adherence to the law very seriously. Let's begin the rest of the questions."

"Alright." Slippy became conscious of his own breathing, and now had to force himself to take each breath. He controlled the pace of his breaths until they came at a steady rhythm, slightly relaxed but purposefully shallow. He maintained this pace as long as he could.

"Have you ever lied to a loved one?"

"Yes," he admitted.

Slippy was pretty sure beneath that pair of ears the basset hound was rolling his eyes.

"Have you ever lied about anything _serious_ to a loved one?"

"N-no."

The hound typed up some notes, each keystroke jabbing into Slippy's mind like a pincushion. After each question he paused for roughly 30 seconds.

"Have you ever taken something that didn't belong to you?"

Of course he had. Everyone had. But like everyone else he was expected to lie about it.

"No." He searched through his teeth with his tongue until he found a particularly sharp one at the back of his jaw. He pressed his tongue against it until he felt a nick of pain.

"Did you ever cheat in grade school?"

"No." This time in addition to discreetly hurting his tongue he also caught his breath, only returning his breathing to its former pace a few seconds later.

"Did you ever cheat in the Academy?"

This was more serious. He didn't prick his tongue, and his short loss of breath recovered quicker.

"No."

"Have you ever violated a ground or air traffic law?"

"No." Another bite and catch of breath.

"Did you ever violate a digital copyright law?"

"No." A bite. A halted breath.

"Have you ever had unauthorized contact with anyone from a non-Cornerian intelligence service?"

Finally, the first of the serious questions. This time Slippy didn't prick his tongue or catch his breath. He continued breathing at his same steady pace.

"No."

"Have you had unauthorized contact with a Venomian?"

He thought of dog-fighting with Starwolf, and specifically Andrew, during the War. "No."

"Unauthorized contact with a pirate or other outlaw?"

Falco probably fit that last description. "No."

"A member of the Free Lylatian Federation?"

Why would that be a problem? "No."

"Did you ever reveal a secret told to you in confidence?"

Once again the question was quite general, with no specifics on who, what, or when. He went back to hurting his tongue, but this time began performing mental math in his head. "No."

"Are you a completely trustworthy person?"

He almost said 'No' automatically, but caught himself at the last second. That near mishap spiked his pulse adequately enough on its own. "Yes."

"Has any group directed you to seek employment with Dawson-McLean?"

Slippy involuntarily thought of his meeting with Peppy and Falco in the transport shuttle not more than a couple days ago. He remembered the moment the hare gave him his mission; use his job position with Space Dynamics, his record of honoring elevated privileges, and his skills, to infiltrate Cornerian intelligence. He quickly stopped the rest of the vignette from playing out and focused on a memory of his last vacation. It was on Aquas, where he had escaped for a week in the sunlight. Soft sands, bright beaches, and beautiful waters. The imagined world relaxed him enough to be able to calmly reply, "No."

"Have you ever provided classified information to any unauthorized individuals?"

Fox and the data on the Cerinia Project flashed before his mind's eye, but he quickly replaced it with the picturesque landscape.

"No."

"Have you ever committed an act of espionage against Corneria?"

The palms continued to sway, and the waves continued to lap. "No."

"Have you ever committed an act of sabotage against Corneria?"

"No."

Internally, Slippy felt relieved. That was it. Those were the most important questions on the test. But as long as he was still hooked up to the machine he couldn't let his breathing return to-

"Is friendship more important than one's duty to their nation?"

Taken off-guard, Slippy's heart stopped. "I'm sorry, what?"

The basset hound lifted an ear. "Is friendship more important than duty to a nation?"

It was too late. Slippy had already let his bodily control lax, so appearing completely honest was out of the question.

"N-no," he stammered. "Well, maybe. I don't know," he sighed. "I guess not. The nation is more important."

"Mhm. And is it sometimes necessary to sacrifice the few for the benefit of the many?"

"Yes," he said with more confidence.

Slippy remained seated in the chair, sweating bullets while the hound looked over his results. After a few minutes he set his laptop aside, folded his hands, and looked at the frog. "Well Mr. Toad, your results are NDI."

Slippy gave him a purposefully blank stare.

"No deception indicated."

The frog smiled happily. "Whew. Well, I'm glad that's over with."

"I understand you are the nervous type, but there's nothing to be worried about. The test accounts for anxious people like you." He proceeded to remove the tubes and wires from Slippy, releasing him from the chair. The frog stood and they shook hands. The polygraphist added, "Good luck with your application! You are free to go."

"Thank you, sir."

Slippy gathered his things and exited the examination room. And he kept right on exiting until he left the waiting room and the hallways of Dawson-McLean as well. Yet he still didn't relax his rhythmic breathing. Not until he walked out the front gates. Not until he walked an entire block. Not until he rounded the pretentious corner ice cream shop and hid in the shadow of the building. When he did he doubled over, gasping for breath. People passed him on either side, but didn't spare him more than a quick glance. They had places to be and errands to run. No one gave a second thought to an overweight amphibian regaining his breath after what they could only imagine was a long walk; that is, long for someone like him.

But Slippy wouldn't have it any other way. With no one to pay him any mind, he reached into the back of his jaw and wiggled the prosthetic tooth free, the same one he had used to prick his tongue. He lost his grip on the wet bit of acrylic plastic, but he spat it out into a nearby trashcan without any difficulty. It probably looked like used gum. Wiping his mouth, he disappeared into the crowd populating the palm tree-lined boulevards and sun-washed streets of Tetracon Vale.

He had passed his test for that day. But the last two questions the administrator had asked still plagued him like an echo that refused to fade.

X

With a hiss, the doors to the Justice's secure cargo hold opened, admitting one Captain Bill Grey. It had been two days since Fox McCloud escaped with the Cerinian research subject, and preparations aboard the Justice were nearly complete for its maiden voyage. Bill would have liked nothing more than to immediately reopen the gate and chase after Fox the instant he lost him, but blindly rushing in would have been foolhardy. A single fighter couldn't stand against one of the most powerful dreadnoughts Lylat had ever seen, much less the untold dangers of planet Cerinia. Fox could be anywhere on the planet now, but at least they had the tool to find him.

The maximum-security hold was specially fortified for protecting important cargo and individuals. Everything from diplomats to prisoners to experimental weaponry. It was the safest place on the ship in case of a battle or accident. Unlike the rest of the Justice, which was starkly lit white, the lights in the security hold were off, plunging it into darkness. Only a few dim aisle lights illuminated the intended pathways across the floor, as well as the white wash of tablets and computer monitors on the faces of scientists stationed within. The brightest light in the room came from a box in the center. It seemed to be a glass holding cell, with mirrors on the opposite walls facing him. A lone vixen sat within; #19, who he had seen escorted aboard earlier. A second box sat a little ways off, but it was dark and featured no glass, barely even awash in the light of 19's cell. Whatever they kept in that solid steel trap would have a much harder time escaping.

Milling about the room was a troop of General Dynamics scientists. They checked and rechecked life support equipment and gestured at monitors while speaking in hushed tones to one another. Among them Bill identified Dr. Marjorie Makepeace, who he walked towards.

"Dr. Makepeace, are preparations complete for the voyage?"

The carmine-furred vixen looked up from her tablet at him. "Yes, we have everything loaded and double-checked."

"Good. Then we are well on schedule. We'll be disembarking soon."

"Mm, yes. The sooner we recover #28 the better." Makepeace said it as if it were an automatic response. Her attention was elsewhere as she focused on her notes.

After their previous meeting Bill wasn't eager to risk more conversation with her, so he let her alone. The glass prison cell caught his eye again, and he walked over to it, halting a few paces away. #19's cell was sparsely outfitted with the barest of necessities. A small bed, a chair, a sink, and a toilet. While Bill could see through the walls in front of him like glass, the rest of the walls were mirrors. On the opposite end, and to the left and right, appeared reflections of the cells that stretched into the horizon like infinitely long tunnels, each cloned image darker than the one before it. #19 herself was also repeated ad infinitum. She sat on the padded floor with her legs folded beneath her, glancing around the cell curiously.

Even though Bill stood within the light of the cell, she didn't seem to notice or acknowledge him. She stared right past whenever she looked around.

"She can't see you, you know."

"What?"

Bill looked back to see Makepeace approaching him. She stopped by his side, observing #19. She clutched her tablet in front of her skirt.

"Her cell is made from one-way mirrors. She can't see outside, but we can see in."

"Doesn't seem like a fair arraignment."

"No, it's not."

Together they watched #19 doing…absolutely nothing.

"The General told me she was harmless now. Is that true?"

Makepeace laughed. "If it weren't true, she'd be in the other cell."

"Then is all this," Bill gestured to the mirror-filled prison, "still necessary?"

"Just a safety precaution. Our understanding is that #28 sealed away her powers when they met. 19 hasn't manifested any outward psychic abilities since, though she is still receptive to other Cerinians. Still, we remain cautious in case her powers were to reawaken." Makepeace hesitated for a second. "You know, you two have something in common."

"And that is…?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but that day on Venom, Fox robbed you of your honor, and 28 robbed 19 of her powers. I imagine both of you are eager to find them again."

Bill clenched his fists. "That may be, but the other girl saved 19 from her own bloody massacre. I expect she'd be thankful to her."

"And McCloud saved you and your men on Katina, I am told."

The bulldog sighed. "He did. Fox is my friend, but…my loyalties lie with Corneria, and that is all that matters. Whatever personal feelings I have for Fox, good or bad, are irrelevant. This is about serving justice on traitors, and helping Lylat recover from war."

"Indeed, it is."

Here the conversation died again, and Bill wordlessly watched 19. She looked bored, and…

"Anything bothering you, Captain?"

"She seems lonely."

Makepeace nodded. "Mm. She misses her sisters. I'd be with her now, but I can't be by her side every hour of every day. Unfortunately I have work to see to." When Bill didn't answer with anything, she continued. "Tell me, what was it like when you saved her?"

"Ma'am?"

"I was told you were the one that found her and took care of her when she broke free. What exactly happened that day?"

Bill's brow furrowed. "Well, I'm sure you are aware of how she went rogue. I was attending a war crime tribunal on the other side of Venom's complexes, so I hurried over with my men when Space Dynamics called for backup. We found several bodies of soldiers and scientists along the way. We saw what she was capable of, and we knew she would probably do the same to us, so we were a bit trigger-happy. Anyone would be in those labs. Yet when we found her, I hesitated to give the order. She was just cowering in the hallway, covered in blood. She seemed…fearsome, and vulnerable at the same time. She didn't look like she would harm anyone. So…I gave the order to spare her."

"And you cleaned her?" Makepeace asked.

"Yes. She was soaked head-to-toe in red. She was miserable."

Makepeace crossed her arms. "Well, for all your staunch military posturing, you have a kind heart. I am grateful you didn't kill her. I see all of them as the children I never had."

"You are…unmarried?"

"Do you think I could get to this position being married? No, I have no children of my own. I couldn't if I tried."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Bill offered.

She shrugged. "It's for the best. Someone needs to be the mother of all these girls; someone who cares. I treat them the best I can, given the circumstances. I try to make things easier for them."

Bill thought back to all the other Cerinians that died that day. "And what happens when one of your daughters murders the rest?"

The doctor sighed. "She is punished. Losing her powers was recompense enough. They are a blessing as much as they are a curse, though ultimately I believe they can be used for good. But please understand, #19 wasn't born a killer. Andross and his scientists made her this way. None of it was her own doing. Of course I grieve the loss of my other children, but I am just as thankful that any survived at all."

"Are 19 and 28 all you have left?"

She shook her head. "They were the ones we made the most progress on, but there are others in my charge. The Cerinia Project has been set back, but it has not failed. A lot rests on this mission."

Bill fell silent again, staring forlornly at 19.

"Would you like to see her?"

He raised a brow. "Is that within protocol?"

"Was it within protocol for you to risk sparing her?" Makepeace chuckled. "You showed her mercy and kindness, without which 19 would have been killed. I think she'd be happy to see you."

X

Makepeace had another scientist lead Bill to the entrance. He swiped his keycard at the door and typed in a passcode, then opened it for Bill. While the walls of the cell were glass and see-through from the outside, when the bulldog stepped inside it was like walking through a portal into another world. He left the dark recesses of the cargo hold and entered an illusory space of infinite hallways. It was rather disorienting at first, and he jumped a little when the door closed. Bill spun and looked behind him, but he only came face-to-face with himself. He was surrounded on every side by a wall of mirrors.

When he turned back around he saw #19, who had finally noticed his presence. She was still seated on the soft floor, looking curiously up at him. She wore the same straitjacket gown he had seen her boarding the ship in, only now the arms were unclasped and it was less restraining. Her hair was long, bright, and silver, though she showed no signs of old age. Hadn't it been blue before? Her fur was a deep purple that Bill thought unnatural; even for a Cerinian. Was she always this color? Or had the blood forever stained her fur?

"Um, hello again," he managed.

" _Hello!"_ she repeated while smiling.

Bill was startled; had she even said a single word to him before this? On Venom she remained completely silent, as if in a state of shock.

The bulldog pointed to himself. "Do you remember me?"

19 cocked her head. "Nas seikim hanachen?"

Bill involuntarily recoiled. _Venomian._ She spoke Venomian. He could hardly believe someone so beautiful would ever speak in that harsh, disgusting tongue. The words and accent brought a flood of memories back to him. Prisoners spitting out threats even during interrogation, distorted communications between frantic enemy pilots, and the dual-language Venomian broadcasts demanding the surrender of Katina before the invasion.

"Seinsu sores verkgau?" she prodded, and Bill was summoned back to reality.

"Oh, sorry. Do you…can you speak Cornerian?"

"Kōneria?" she echoed. "Nīe."

Bill sighed and wiped his hair back. Well this was going to be arduous. He had the displeasure of learning some Venomian during the war, but not enough to carry a conversation. He pulled out his wrist device and opened an app which could translate for him in real time.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak your language," he said aloud, then paused. He waited for the wrist unit to repeat his message in Venomian, which came out in an artificial, tinny-sounding voice. "We'll have to talk through a translator for the meantime."

" _That is alright. I still want to talk with you."_ When she spoke a similar robotic voice translated in his earpiece.

In truth, Bill didn't know _what_ to talk about. Their first meeting wasn't under the most pleasant of circumstances, and Bill couldn't casually bring up how she'd slaughtered dozens of people anyway. Nor would it feel appropriate to mention how he washed the blood off her in a dimly lit shower. But he had to come up with _something._

"Um…are you comfortable here?" he asked.

"Mhm! _My first home was dark, and dirty, and hard. Here it is bright, and clean, and soft. But still it feels…cold."_

"I hope you like it here. It's my own ship; it was given to me recently."

" _You own a magnificent beast."_

Bill raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Well, it's not a beast."

" _Isn't it a giant creature?"_

"No, it's just a machine made from moving parts. Here, like my wrist unit." He held the device in front of her. "It can do a lot of things, but it's not alive. It's just…complicated."

" _But it acts like a creature. It breathes. It speaks. It moves. It glows. It's much better than the beast I used to live in."_

Bill was quickly becoming confused. "Are you sure you lived in a beast?"

" _We all live in a beast."_

The canine paused with his mouth open, but he couldn't come up with anything. How does one respond to that? The more he thought about her words, the more he wondered if it was a translation error. Maybe it was just the way Venomians referred to ships and other machines. Like Cornerians used "she" when referring to vehicles. But no one used it this literally…

" _How did you know which one was me?"_

"What?"

19 gestured to her hundreds of echoes in the mirrors. _"They're not real. I've tried to speak to them, but they won't answer. They just repeat what I say. I can't touch them, either. Each of us is in a prison. Somehow they perfectly do whatever I do."_ To demonstrate, she waved her hand above her head, and all her reflections waved back. _"So, how did you know which one was the real me?"_

Bill smiled and lay a hand on her head. He softly rubbed her silver hair. "Because I can feel you."

19 closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly, leaning into his paw. Then she had an idea. She sprang up and backed a few paces away. _"How do you know I'm not just a copy of you?"_

The bulldog laughed. "Well, for starters, you don't look very much like me."

" _I don't?"_ She assumed a posture similar to his, reaching her hand out to mirror the hand Bill had been using to pat her. _"How about now?"_

"Well, it's harder to tell now," Bill admitted, deciding to humor her. He lowered his hand to his side, and 19 mimicked him. Curious, Bill slowly raised his hand to wave at her, and watched as 19 did her best to match him. He played with her a bit, raising and lowering his arm a few times, laughing in amusement when he faked her out once. Then he struck a resolute pose and saluted, and 19 did the same in an exaggerated fashion. Finally he reached his paw forward, and 19 raised hers as well. Their fingers met in the center where 19's imaginary mirror would be. It almost felt like he were touching a real mirror, if it weren't for the softness of her paw.

Bill gently pressed his hand forward, until their palms met. Their eyes locked together, and they stared at one another.

Eventually 19 gave up and looked back at the real mirrors. _"I have another question."_

"You have a lot of questions," Bill grinned.

 _"Well,_ _I'm curious. How do you know that one of them isn't actually the real one, and you are just the reflection?"_

Bill thought for a moment, and realized in the very act of doing so he had found the answer. "Because they don't think. They can speak whenever I speak, and do whatever I do, but they can't think what I think. I can't hear their thoughts. I can only hear my own."

" _But I can,"_ 19 stated. _"I can hear them."_

Bill's eyes widened as he stared at her. "C-can you hear _my_ thoughts?" he stammered.

She searched his eyes for a minute.

" _No."_

The bulldog jumped when another voice spoke in his ear. "Captain Gray." It was Lieutenant Baines' voice. "Your presence is requested in the bridge. If all preparations are complete, it is time to depart."

Bill pressed the button to answer. "I'll be there shortly." He turned to leave, but felt 19's paw suddenly grab his uniform.

" _Wait!"_

He turned back to her and looked down at her grasp on his shirt, but then noticed something further down her arm. Her sleeve had drooped back to reveal Fox's bandana still tied around her forearm. What was once a bright red now was stained a darker crimson. Bill was surprised they had let her keep it.

" _Will you stay?"_ she asked.

Bill looked up to meet her eyes. "We're…going on a voyage. Together. I promise I'll visit you again. But now I have to go."

The cell's doorway opened to the dark exterior, and 19 relinquished her hold on Bill's uniform. Her head hung low as he left

X

Bill reached the bridge within a few minutes. Crewmembers scrambled across the deck, hurrying to man their positions in the crew pits. Miyu Lynx and Fay Spaniel sat in front of status monitors on either side of the elevated floor, and Lieutenant Baines stiffly stood beside the captain's chair. When Bill entered he exchanged glances with each of them, and one-by-one they nodded in return. Catching his breath, Bill marched across the deck and reverently took his seat. It almost felt like sitting upon a throne.

"The staff from General Dynamics are ready to leave. Is everyone else aboard?" he asked.

"Both Husky and Bulldog squadrons are all accounted for, Captain," Miyu answered. She took pride in being able to call him that, and it likewise made Bill himself feel proud.

"Are the supplies and equipment loaded?"

This time Fay answered. "All ships, weapons, provisions, and other equipment is aboard."

"And the crew?"

"Ready and willing, Captain," Baines barked. "We await your command."

"Very well then. Chief communications officer, request gate access to Cerinia."

"Yes sir!"

While the comms officer contacted gate control, Baines spoke to Bill. "The Beltino Orbital Gate requires tremendous amounts of energy to remain open; especially at such a large distance. Because of this, contact with Lylat will be extremely limited. The Lilith System is roughly 10 light years away, meaning electromagnetic communication isn't feasible – unless you're willing to wait a decade for further orders," he chuckled. "The Gate will open on a daily basis to allow radio waves to pass through; not more than 15 minutes unless something comes up. It will be the same time each day. This will let Corneria and General Dynamics check up on us, and allow you to report to General Pepper."

"The military can't afford any more time?" Bill questioned.

"Well, the military doesn't have full control of the Gate. It was originally built by Space Dynamics, with the help of Cornerian government investments. The only way to pay for its upkeep was to open it to public transport. A slight nuisance, but ultimately necessary. I am sure Corneria will contract General Dynamics to build more."

"A shame we didn't use a gate to jump straight to Andross during the War."

Baines shook his head. "I know it sounds like a simple solution, but only a fool jumps directly at a bear's maw when its claws are still behind them. Nor at that time could we hold the gate open for longer than a few minutes. Only enough for a small strike force at most."

"Like Starfox?"

The hound smiled and nodded. "Yes, like Starfox. If they were resigned to a one-way, suicide trip. You must also beware that there is no warp gate on the other side. This is the same case for us."

"Then what is the return plan?"

"When our mission is completed, or something goes awry, we'll have to wait a day to request extraction; until the next time they crack the gate for radio communication. Then we'll rendezvous at the designated airspace where the gate is to appear until it opens to allow our exit."

Bill sighed, feeling his blood pumping. "Well, I could've asked for nothing more exciting for my first voyage as a captain."

"Indeed not, sir."

Outside the bridge's viewing window, public traffic through the gate ground to a halt. The orrery of rings at the center of the orbital gate shot forth a beam of green energy, which impacted into one of several Zephyr rings around the gate. The Zephyr ring expanded into six pieces, creating a shimmering pool of emerald energy. When the ripples in the mirror-like surface settled, a circular cut of stars materialized, seeming to move independent from the actual stars in the background. And, just barely visible above the bottom lip of the portal, was the top of a blue planet's horizon, eclipsing the sun.

Stabilizing arms and umbilical tubes released from the Justice, letting it float free from its mooring. It eased out of the orbital gate and slowly flew the remaining distance to the portal hovering a few kilometers away. The closer they pulled to the gate, the more the awaiting planet drew into view.

When the Justice passed through the circle, it closed behind them, leaving the ship in orbit above the breathtaking, violet-colored planet.

Bill steepled his fingers and grinned.

"Let the foxhunt begin."

procedure 02: antrr. cnglt. crtx


	20. The Test

X

Mission No. 20

Zoness  
Pukes' Place

The Test

X

The next morning Katt lead Falco to Pukes' hideout. The feline managed to secure an alternate set of clothes for him since his flight uniform would otherwise give him away. He now wore a ripped pair of green cargo pants and a grey hoodie with torn-off sleeves. Katt also supplied him with a disposable filter mask, which was rather like a surgical mask, only it was covered in chemicals made to clean the air the wearer breathed in. This one was specifically designed for the nostrils atop a bird's beak.

Together they traversed the grime-covered streets and alleys towards the east side of the floating city, where Pukes' residence and place of business was. Falco brought the vial of the Venomian drug with him with the intent of having Pukes identify the contents, specific makeup, and intended usage.

It took roughly half an hour to arrive at her place; a boarded-up, ground-floor building conspicuously located between a chemical plant, a grocery store, and a sewer estuary that fed into the nearby ocean. Katt lead Falco up to the front door even though he'd been there several times before on his own. She positioned herself in front of the eyehole and knocked.

A few moments later there was a scraping sound as the latch behind the peephole slid open. It revealed a single blue eye with a half a pair of glasses covering it. The eye completely unnerved Falco, as red veins surrounded the iris and shadowy bags had formed beneath it.

"What's the password?" a muffled but distinctly feminine voice came from behind the door.

Katt lowered her filter mask. "Pukes, I don't have time for your stupid passwords, you know it's me."

" _Us,"_ Falco said behind her.

"Us," Katt corrected.

"What do you mean 'us?'" Pukes asked. The blue eye swiveled to peer behind Katt, who stepped out of the way to reveal Falco. The eye widened. "Oh. You brought _him._ I don't remember what password I was using today anyway, so I'll give you a pass this time."

The peephole screeched shut and a series of locks clinked free, followed by the door opening. Falco stepped inside after Katt to see Pukes, a vixen with lime-green dyed fur. She wore an over-sized lab coat with a rainbow patchwork of stains and holes that just begged to be condemned by the Bureau of Hazardous Waste. Her wireframe glasses were taped over the bridge of her nose, and her hair fell in a disheveled tangle around her shoulders. There were bags under her sagging eyelids; it looked like she hadn't slept a wink in days.

Pukes poked her head out for a second to peer up and down the street, then closed the door behind them.

"Falco, you've come back." She spoke in a monotone voice that said she was just barely holding on to wakefulness no matter how hard she tried to sound excited. "I've dearly missed my number one distributor."

"And I've missed my number one cook," Falco returned.

Pukes saw them into the reception area, though along the way she tripped on the hem of her overly-long lab coat. That seemed to wake her up a bit. The room was populated by a dusty, mismatched set of sofas and armchairs that Falco knew for sure came from the dump. After all, he helped carry them in years ago.

Pukes sat in an armchair while Falco and Katt sat on the couch across from her, taking care to avoid the spring that poked through one of the cushions. The green-furred vixen adjusted her glasses and studied Falco. Her eyelids drooped nearly closed, and as time dragged on Falco worried more and more that she had fallen asleep sitting up. He jumped a little when she finally spoke.

"My you've changed. You look different than you did when I last saw you. But then again everything and everyone's changed, hasn't it?"

Falco shrugged. "Not the important stuff. Seems like everything's gone back to normal here, even though I've been gone a few years and a war took place. Katt's still working the shop, Fazio's still mixing his drinks, Grimmer's still terrorizing street bums-"

"And _I_ am still cooking," Pukes finished for him. She leaned forward and clasped her hands, sighing tiredly. "So, what brought the great Falco Lombardi back?"

Falco winced. "If I had a credit for every time I was asked that question, I'd have…like 3 or 4 credits."

"I heard you're a war hero now. No one in their right mind would come back to a cesspool like 13 if they ever got out."

"Maybe I got bored. Once you've fought in a star-system-wide war, _The_ War, you can't really go up from there. Maybe I miss what things used to be like. Maybe I lost my sense of scale fighting way up in the clouds where the people I'm saving look like insignificant ants, and I can't even see the faces of the punks I'm shooting at."

By the time Falco finished talking her eyes had closed, and she had to shake herself awake. "Um, I heard Starfox disbanded."

"Well…unofficially."

She yawned. "Must suck having each of your teams fall apart like that."

"It…does. I don't want it to happen again, which is why I'm back. Fox has gone off to- uh, Fox has completely disappeared-"

"So you know where he's gone?" Pukes asked, eyebrows climbing her forehead.

"W-what!? No! If I did know I would've completed that sentence, but I didn't so I had to change-"

"Bullshit, you're hiding something." Pukes climbed over the small coffee table between them and scrutinized Falco with her magnified eyes. _"Why are you here?"_

Falco retreated slightly into the couch, but then relaxed. "Pukes, something awful screwy is going on, and it involves Venom, Corneria, _and_ Fox. The more I tell you, the more I put you in danger, so I have to be careful about what I say. I came here today because I have a favor to ask."

He reached into his jacket and removed the vial he'd taken from the Venomian stash. He passed it off to Pukes who greedily snatched it from his hands. She held it up to the light, turning it left and right as she studied the milky iridescent substance contained within.

"Seems some is missing."

"Er, probably just evaporated on the way over."

Pukes raised her eyebrows at Falco, then noticed how he nervously glanced at Katt who herself had a confused look on her face. She decided to make nothing more of it so she could return to sleep faster.

"Give me a day and I'll have this analyzed. But first, where did you get it?"

Falco smiled sheepishly. "Now you know I never reveal my sources when I get you the materials."

" _This_ is a finished product. I'm a little jealous you didn't come to me to cook you something up, but I'm willing to overlook it because you have always been a faithful business partner. But please, knowing where it came from will help me."

Falco sighed. "Alright. I stole it from Venom."

" _That_ much is obvious. It's crystal lysergic acid."

"How did you know?"

"I read the label. It may be in Venomian, but scientific names are often cognates between Venomian and Cornerian. Though I can't say I've ever heard of this type. Now, be more specific."

"Uh, I stole it from some Venomian deserters in Area 6. It's from the labs on Venom. The ones closest to Andross."

Pukes began to hold the vial very gingerly. "No wonder I don't recognize it. Well, give me a day and I'll find out what the components are, what the usage is, and, if I'm lucky, how to synthesize more. What do you plan to do with it?"

"I…don't know yet. That all depends on what you find."

"How much of this do you have? I'd hate to use it all up during…testing."

Katt looked concerned. "How much can it possibly take?"

"I've got _plenty,"_ Falco answered.

"Good." Pukes slipped the vial into one of her lab coat's pockets. She then turned her attention to Katt. She wrung her hands nervously and couldn't make eye contact with the feline. "Hey, Katt, about those batteries you promised me…"

"No!" Katt stated, crossing her arms.

"But you promised if you had any extras you'd give them to me!"

"I need them for Bruiser. Besides, I know what you'd do with them."

Falco leaned over and put his arm around Katt's shoulders. "Come on babe, she's doing us a favor after all."

"'Us?'" Katt responded indignantly.

"She's helping both of us here! This could turn out to be something big. I think she deserves payment."

Katt pursed her lips and glanced between Falco and the pleading Pukes. She sighed. "Alright, fine, but only _after_ I get enough for Bruiser."

Falco was reminded of a second item he had brought; he felt it jab him from his pocket when he first leaned over to Katt. He drew out a brownish-orange medicine bottle and handed it to Pukes. "Oh, I almost forgot. I thought I could pay you with these."

Pukes held the bottle close to her eyes and read the label. " _McCloud, James Fox…_ "

"They're Fox's meds. He forgot them before he, uh, ran off."

The vixen continued reading the label. "Well I hope he doesn't _need_ these or anything…"

"Eh he's probably fucked. I just thought you'd be able to put them to good use since I can't get them to him in light of…present circumstances."

Pukes cradled the bottle against her cheek. "Trust me, it won't go to waste. Unbroken night of sleep, _here I come."_

X

After dropping off the sample and Fox's medication with Pukes, Falco and Katt went back the way they came towards Katt's mechanic shop. The feline still had many lingering questions after their visit.

Stepping over an oddly-smoking puddle, she asked, "What do you intend to do once Pukes analyzes the components?"

Falco shrugged. "That all depends on what she finds. Whatever the results are I'll report them back to Peppy. After that, who knows. Guess I'll wait and see."

Katt's brow knit with worry. She slipped an arm through his and spoke under her breath. "You said you had a whole case of the stuff aboard your ship, right?"

Falco held up a finger. "Fox's ship. And yes, I have approximately 600 more tubes."

"You're not thinking of selling it all, are you?"

"That was my original intent when I stole it, yes."

"Falco, please don't. I thought you'd learn some sense in Starfox. You can make a clean living _without_ running drugs. It's dangerous! You'll have both the Bureau _and_ all your old enemies after you again. Just try and stay inside of the law this time."

He leaned in close to whisper back at her. "I seem to recall you swiping a few parts from customers here and there."

"Nothing that they'd miss! And that's a far cry from what you're considering. If-if it's money you want you can stay at my place for as long as you need. Don't you have enough left over from the War to live comfortably for awhile?"

"I don't. I told you I already blew it all. But it's not about the money. Even if I _was_ loaded, I wouldn't let myself get soft. And bored."

"I still want you to stay safe. I'd hate to lose you so soon after you came back to me."

"Don't worry about it! The shipment might not be any good at all, and maybe this whole notion of running drugs was just a lame idea to begin with." It was a probable lie, but he used the uncertainty to pacify her in the moment.

The banshee cry of wheels screeching echoed from somewhere down the street, and both heads turned to find the source. A group of motorbikes threaded through the street's traffic, recklessly speeding towards them. Falco recognized the bikes' colored patterns at the same time Katt did.

"Speaking of enemies…" Katt trailed off.

"Eh, it's just Grimmer."

" _It's just Grimmer!"_ Katt mocked in a sarcastic tone. "Grimmer nearly ran over your skinny chicken neck on a few occasions. Now shut up and keep your head low." The feline pulled his hood up and over his head while Falco rolled his eyes. She likewise kept her own head down and turned away from the street. Katt looked for a nearby alley they could escape to, but at that moment they crossed into an abandoned parking lot for a supermarket with no cover in sight.

The bikers whooped and hollered as they drew closer, causing cars to veer onto the sidewalk or slam on their brakes. They knocked over trashcans and spilled their contents into the streets (not that it made much difference) and dragged pipes and wood planks along the asphalt roads.

"Listen to them carrying on like a bunch of 5th-graders," Falco mumbled.

"Were you really any better?" Katt hissed back. She pulled him through the empty parking lot in an effort to cut across.

"Maybe not then. But I'm older now."

"Really? Coulda fooled me."

Falco raised his voice dangerously high. "And what exactly are you referring to-"

But he was cut off when the caravan of motorbikes sped past, their roaring engines drowning him out. They zoomed up the street and turned around the corner of the lot…but rather than continuing on they pulled in and doubled back towards Falco and Katt. The feline gripped Falco's jacket tightly while he merely frowned.

The hooligans began riding circles around the couple, yelling and jeering at them as they penned them in. In a cartoon they would have stirred up a whirlwind of dust around them. Their bikes were painted reds and dark greens and black, but not in solid patterns; the paint was applied in short, diamond-shaped brushstrokes to look like scales.

Finally one of the bikes pulled off from the rest and slowed to a stop in front of Falco and Katt. It was covered in alligator green scales that, unlike the rest of the bikes, were made out of shiny iridescent foil. The rider cranked a lever and the front of the bike, which was augmented with plastic to look like a dragon head, belched forth a spray of flames and sparks.

Falco raised his eyebrows. "A bit excessive, Grimmer."

"Falco Lombardi…so it _is_ you." Grimmer was a husky iguana with sewage-green skin and bumpy, bead-like scales. A ridge of pointed spines ran down the length of his back, and his gullet flapped with each word he rasped. He was bare-chested, with his skin inked in tattoos of interwoven dragons and flames so entangled that one couldn't be told from the other. Two similar iguanas pulled up on either side of him; one with bruised black scales and matching bike, the other one sporting ruddy red. They were his brothers Scrimmer and Dimmer.

Falco scowled and grumbled to Katt, "I never liked lizards." Then he raised his voice. "So Grimmer, long-time-no-see. I see you and your bros finally graduated from training wheels."

"Falco, don't," Katt whispered.

Dimmer's knuckles tightened on his handlebars and Scrimmer hissed, but Grimmer merely smiled toothily. He dismounted his steed and lumbered a few steps towards Falco. He hefted a metal sprinkler pipe above his shoulder that looked like it was ripped straight from a building's ceiling, though he made no move to use it.

"And you, Falco, had an early retirement after I put your precious bike through the trash compactor. Honestly it looked better afterwards, but it would be a shame if you met an early grave too."

"I didn't retire. Just had a slight change of career."

Grimmer laughed. "Yeah, and a smart one! You tucking tail and abandoning your team was the only thing that kept them safe. We were just planning a raid when you left. You were lucky the Free Birds fell apart when they did. One way or another, there wasn't gonna _be_ anymore Free Birds." Grimmer swung his pipe around and brought the end right up to Falco's face. "And you better not go calling them back together, or we'll finish what we started. For _good_."

Falco didn't flinch. "Relax Grimmer. I didn't come back to reform the Free Birds."

The iguana raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Then what did you come crawling back for? Saving Lylat wasn't good enough for your high-'n-mighty ass?"

Falco put his arm around Katt's waist. "Just came back for my girl. Wanted to say hi to a few friends. Tie up some loose strings."

"Came back for your tail, huh?" he said looking at Katt. "Well you're lucky she's here, or I'd wipe the asphalt with your guts and paint a big red handicap spot for whatever's left of ya. Been meanin' to make good on some community service I owe."

Katt growled. "You try that and I'll skin your hide to upholster my next customer's seat."

"I thought you didn't want to get involved," Falco whispered from the corner of his beak.

Grimmer's eyes narrowed. "Well if you wanted to get roughed-up too, you shoulda said somethin' sooner. I think I got time to brain both your boyfriend _and_ you. Only it wouldn't be fair. Not while my boys are surrounding you." The reptile hoisted the pipe back over his shoulder. "I'll let you go for now. But if I smell one whiff of you reforming the Free Birds, well…"

When he trailed off Scrimmer hissed a fizzling laugh and Dimmer licked his lips with a slimy tongue. Grimmer threw his leg back over his bike and his brothers followed suit. The rest of his gang revved their engines.

"Oh, and Lombardi, try not to get runned over by anyone else on the streets. I'd rather turn ya into roadkill on purpose."

Then Grimmer's gang tore off down the street, continuing to sow chaos all the way.

Katt released a breath. "Well, we were lucky to get out of that one unscathed.

Falco shrugged. "Nah, Grimmer wouldn't do me in like that. He wants a challenge and a fair fight. Plus I'm not a threat to him anymore, as long as I don't drag the guys back together."

"And we don't have a reason to cross him, either," Katt stated firmly. She took Falco's arm again and began walking across the barren parking lot. "…That is, unless you're planning on reforming the team, which you're _not…_ right?"

Falco shrugged.

Her fingers dug into his arm. "Falco, please tell me you're not."

"He _did_ destroy my first bike-"

"I'll build you another one!" she hurriedly offered.

"It's the principle of the thing. And he _did_ hurt me and my teammates-"

"You were all beating each other up back then! Who's to say _they_ started it!?"

"And he did threaten me _and_ you just now, the girl I'm sworn to protect-"

"If you want to protect me, don't make the most powerful dickhead in the District your enemy."

Together they rounded the corner and continued on towards the east side.

"What makes you think he's the most powerful dickhead in 13?"

Katt looked up at him. "If not him, then who else?"

Falco smiled to himself.

"Me, after I reform the Free Birds."

X

Clutching a bundle of cloth and food in her arms, Krystal hurried down the hidden footpath between the cliffs. Every few steps she would turn and look over her shoulder, brows arched in worry, but no one seemed to be following her.

After a time she burst from the winding canyon onto the cliffs overlooking the lake – though really it was more of a peaceful river that surrounded the Altaira mountains. Her padding feet lead her beneath a glade of trees and into the perpetual pink mists that enveloped the cliffside. The forest stopped at the edge of the shelf of boulders, and she hesitated before setting foot onto the stone floor. Closing her eyes, she listened for the thought waves of nearby lifeforms, but found none. None that is, except for his. Otherwise, the thoughtscape of the forest and cliffs was completely silent.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the vixen stepped out onto the rocky shelf and tread over the soft ridges and smooth stone surface. Every once in a while she would step over a loose rock or gaps of fractured veins, but otherwise the path was clear. In front of her the mists faded slightly; she had reached the edge of the shelf where a lone fox sat bound to a weight stone. She rushed over to his side and set the bundle down, immediately placing her hands on the ropes binding him.

The other vulpine lifted his head wearily. "Krystal…?"

"It's okay Fox, I've come to free you." Reaching out with her mind she sensed more of the coils of rope than her fingers alone could reach. At her bidding, the loose knot she had retied the day before came free once more. Fox fell forward into her waiting arms, and she hugged him tightly. To her surprise however, he pushed her back.

"Don't do this," he said. "I just have to sit here a few more hours and I'll pass their stupid test. How hard can sitting on my ass be?"

"I don't care. They're cruel and heartless and I hate seeing them treat you like this. How can I be content when I know you're suffering?"

Fox laughed dryly. "You're acting like they're torturing me or something. Like I said I've been through worse. They'll come for me when my time's up."

Krystal propped him upright and stared into his tired eyes. "And how do you know that? How do you know they won't leave you here until you starve or die of thirst?"

"You're right. I don't. But that's a chance you should let me take. If they don't keep their promise, _then_ you could come and free me like you planned."

"It might be too late then! If I found out they didn't keep their promise they'd keep me from ever seeing you again! And I can't risk that. We're leaving now whether you like it or not."

Krystal let go of Fox and he managed to hold himself upright. From the bundle she unfurled a bright pink robe, similar to her own teal one. She draped it over his shoulders.

"Here, put this on! I know you don't like being unclothed, so I brought it for you."

Fox examined one of the silk sleeves and rubbed it between his fingers. He chuckled to himself at the pink material.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," he assured her. "I'm just…happy. I'm glad you cared."

"I knew you'd want it. I also stole some food for us; it's in the bundle. We should have enough to get back to your flying beast."

"Ship."

"Yes. Now, can you stand?"

Fox grimaced. "Probably, but you'll need to help me at first."

Krystal threw one of his arms around her shoulders and looped her arm around his waist. With her assistance Fox struggled to his feet, but the creaking in his stiff joints was so strong the vixen could nearly hear it. When they rose to near full height Fox's legs trembled beneath him, but he firmly planted his feet. He groaned the entire time in relief.

"Oh boy, ah that hurts. But at the same time it feels so good." At first he stood stooped over like a hunchback, then he arched his spine and threw his shoulders back, his bones audibly cracking. "Oh I've waited so long to do that!"

"Quiha ko koe mahi!?" a sharp voice rang out over the clifftops.

Krystal and Fox's hearts froze as they looked up. The mists parted to reveal a group of Cerinians standing on the edge of the forest. Mother Namah stood at the forefront, proud and regal in her beautiful purple robes. She was flanked by several of the Kaitaki; the warriors of the village, evident by their grey cloaks and masks. Behind them stood a few of the Kaumatau, or the village elders, with their flowing robes and ceremonial chords. And behind even them, Krystal spotted Māra, her attendant. She looked timid, and stood behind the others as if she feared Krystal or Fox's wrath.

Still giving Fox her support, she backed him away from the Cerinians until they came upon the edge of the cliff face, beneath which was only fog. Did it hide the river, or perhaps a sandy beach or jagged rocks? Whatever the unknown held for them, it wouldn't be safe to blindly jump into. But the vixen wasn't about to give up so easily, and neither was Fox by the determined look on his face.

"How did you sneak up on us?" Krystal demanded in Cornerian. "I listened for your thought speech, but you were nowhere near!"

"We hid our thoughts as easily as we hid in this mist," Mother Namah answered, likewise in Cornerian. "Weren't you suspicious when you couldn't even hear the thoughts of a single fish or grasshopper?"

So it was a trap then? "Were you waiting for me the whole time?"

"We followed you at a distance. We were not ignorant of your comings and goings. We knew you sneaked away to see the Lylatian yesterday, and we knew you stole food and clothes with the intent of fleeing. We are not as blind as you think, nor are you as secretive as you might believe. You have much to learn."

Krystal gnashed her teeth and glanced between the Cerinians. They outnumbered them 5-to-1, and they had them trapped. She scooted even closer to the cliff's edge with Fox.

"Well it doesn't matter. Fox is free now, and we're leaving, no matter what you do."

One of the Kaitaki stepped forward until she stood between Krystal, Fox, and the rest of the Cerinians. She spoke in Cerinian, but telegraphed her thoughts so she could understand. _"It was the decision of the elders that he would be isolated for three days. His trial is still underway, and he must be bound until the afternoon, at which point three days will be over. Then we will release him as promised."_

"I don't care!" Krystal shouted back. "You have no right to treat him like this! You hate him and everyone like him. I've told you he's kind and gentle, but you won't believe me."

The warrior stepped even closer, removing her mask. Krystal's eyes widened when she recognized Sister Āni, the woman she had knocked out via telepathy a few days prior; the woman that had so readily forgiven her. _"The Kaumatau have decreed. The man will finish the test."_

Krystal felt conflicted; this confrontation had never been a part of her plan. But she couldn't back down now. She stepped forward and placed herself between Fox and Āni. "If you want him, come and take him. You…you know what I can do."

But Āni wasn't dissuaded. She walked across the shelf until she stood a few paces from Krystal. She didn't lift a hand; her arms were still folded in the wide sleeves of her cloak. _"Krystal,"_ she said, _"please stand down."_

The young vixen fell silent. A tense quiet descended on the cliffside – more of a violent emptiness than a tranquil calm. The air grew fraught with energy as Krystal's gaze darkened upon the other Cerinian. She felt herself reaching out; grasping the edges of Sister Āni's mind like she had before. It would be so easy to choke her thoughts and make her fall again. But now that the warrior stood in front of her, unarmed but firm, she found she couldn't.

Before Krystal could work up the nerve to go through with the attack, Fox's hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Krystal…please. You don't have to do this. Both of us are going to be just fine."

The vixen continued to stare down her opponent. Through gritted teeth she responded, "I can't let them hurt you anymore. I spent my entire life as someone else's prisoner. I'm not about to be _theirs_ instead. That's not why I escaped! That's not why you broke me out. Trust me, Fox, you don't want to be tied up for the rest of your life."

Behind her, Fox's breathing became ragged, and his grip faltered on her shoulder. Then he re-tightened his hold and pulled himself in front of her, placing himself between her and the warrior. He lay both of his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Krystal, there's nowhere left. If we leave them now, where would we go?"

The vixen faltered for a moment. "B-back to your beast! The Great Fox!"

Fox shook his head tiredly. "The two of us can't live inside an over-sized tin can for the rest of our lives. It would just become a cage; a prison of its own."

She thought back to the night she had spent in his room, with the inviting countryside display across the wall. She remembered the sapphire-blue planet beneath the orbital gate. "Then we'll go back to your home. We'll live on Corneria!"

But Fox shook his head again. "It's too dangerous. The Cornerians will be on the lookout for us day and night. I've seen the entire Lylat; there is nowhere they haven't been, there's nowhere they can't reach. We'd never be able to stop running. But we couldn't return even if we wanted to. The gate's closed. There's no going back. We already made our decision."

"Fine. We'll stay on Cerinia. But not with them! Anywhere else. We'll just keep looking until we find a new home."

 _"I'm tired of running!"_ Fox barked. Krystal recoiled in shock, and Fox's head hung low. It felt like he could barely keep himself upright, and with each passing second his hands felt heavier on her shoulders. The weight of everything he held pressed down on her, as if she were the only thing keeping him standing.

When he spoke again it was in a quiet, broken voice. "There's nothing for me back there. I want to start a new life; here. I've given up everything. _Everything,_ Krystal. I'm so close, I can't give up now. I've forsaken my people so I could help you and your family. Myself and the rest of Lylat…we've wronged them. I want to make up for it. I want to make things right, and this is the only way I know how. What they're doing…they have every right to do. Please just understand, we can't run from everyone and everything forever. Everyone has their differences. Everyone might wrong you in some way. I…I know I have. But sometime you have to choose who you belong with and stick with them no matter what."

Krystal could feel tears forming in her eyes as Fox's words poured out. "But Fox, I've already chosen…"

He looked up at her then, the dawn of realization spreading over his face.

Gathering her strength she gently pushed Fox aside, who suddenly felt like a feather leaving her shoulder. She turned her attention back to Āni, who still faced-off against her over the rocky shelf. Finally Krystal released a pent-up breath and relaxed. She bowed her head dejectedly and stepped aside, hugging herself. "Āni, I'm sorry. I can't believe I was so close to hurting you again. Just…get this over with, please."

The warrior likewise released a sigh. Her stone-cold expression warmed towards Krystal, and she glided past her. Like Krystal had done earlier, she took Fox's arm over her shoulder and lead him back across the cliff face. Krystal's curiosity was peaked however when she passed right by the weight stone and brought Fox before Mother Namah and the rest of the Cerinians. There she lowered him to his knees and stood aside. The rest of the Kaitaki likewise parted and let Namah and the other elders present approach Fox.

"You have passed the test," Namah declared. "Both of you."

Surprised and confused, Krystal slowly crept back to Fox's side.

"What do you mean?" Fox asked, voicing Krystal's thoughts as well.

"Three days might not be over _exactly,_ but enough time and events have passed to know you do not possess powers. If you did, you would have freed yourself days ago and run off with Krystal, or even exacted revenge on our village. But as we have seen, you are clearly helpless without her."

"Thanks, I guess," Fox rasped. Krystal could still practically feel the hunger in his stomach and the thirst upon his lips, but he still remained calm and didn't beg.

"And what about me?" Krystal pressed. "You were testing me too?"

"We were testing his power over you, which we wrongly attributed your loyalty to. You clearly cared about him as you claimed, to the point of risking your life and your future here to free him. But you also showed today that he has no control over you. At least, no more control than a handsome lad usually possesses over a young vixen. You wanted what you thought best for him even when that conflicted with what _he_ wanted. You defied his wishes and freed him against his will. He has no secret spell over you."

"That was a silly idea from the start!" Krystal pouted.

Namah's face darkened. "But now we must decide what to do with him."

"You _could_ let me go…" Fox mumbled.

Krystal clenched her fists and glared up at Namah. "You promised to free him!"

"And I made good on that promise. We released him. Or rather, _you_ did."

"Then let us leave!" Krystal demanded. "We never want to see your stupid valley again!"

"I promised I'd _free_ him," Namah elaborated, "I never said you two could leave the valley. You know too much. You know where we are, and if you were to fall into the hands of the Cornerians they would know too. I can't risk the safety of our entire village for just the two of you. It's also for your own protection; the wastelands are dangerous and full of terrors. Terrors beyond your comprehension. You were lucky to survive your journey here."

Before Krystal could fire back, Fox broke in. "She's right. She never promised to let us leave." He looked up at Namah. "But you _did_ promise to set me free and let me live."

"As I said, the gift of life and freedom is granted to you. Freedom up to a certain extent." Here she turned to the other three elders. "My sisters, what is your council?"

A Cerinian much older than Namah and wearing the chords of the Kaumatau spoke. She switched to Cerinian. _"The results of the trial speak for themselves. The man poses no danger to us as long as he is kept in sight."_

Another elder about Namah's age scowled at Fox. _"But he's still a rāgata and deserves no place in our village. He may be free to live, but not near me nor the daughters I protect."_

The older Cerinian smiled upon Fox. _"I think he has proven himself honorable. If we are forcing him to stay in the valley, we should at least treat him as a guest, not a prisoner. The poor boy has had quite enough of that already."_

While Krystal was able to peek into their minds and understand their speech, Fox was unable to follow along at all. He worriedly glanced back and forth between the elders as they talked, already feeling indebted to the one who looked upon him kindly.

The second Kaumatau continued looking at Fox distrustfully, but she heeded her sister's words. _"Well then, if he is to live in the village for the rest of his life – along with the girl – then they cannot be counted as guests. They should be citizens with responsibilities like the rest of us. They must do their part and contribute to everyday life."_

" _That is only fair,"_ the first agreed. " _The man is strong and will be useful in many tasks. Krystal is an apt learner, as evident in her quick grasp of our language and her willing spirit. I am sure we can find good fits for the both of them."_

Namah looked at the third elder, who seemed a bit younger than her. _"What do you say, Raiana?"_

Raiana scratched her chin and stared down her nose at Fox. " _The males of our species are in short supply. Our numbers have dwindled to near-extinction levels, and the future of the Cerinian race is uncertain. We would be wise to hold onto him."_

" _Are you_ _suggesting_ _…_ _?"_

Raiana's eyes traveled down Fox and she smirked. _"He does have a strong physique and is quite…well-endowed."_

Fox didn't understand a word of what she said, but he still didn't like the way she eyed him. He clutched his robe closed in front. On the other hand, while Krystal understood the words, she didn't pick up on their implication.

Namah rolled her eyes. _"The young have a one-track mind."_

" _Raiana has a point,"_ the distrustful elder said. _"The offspring he has might even lose the Curse due to his Lylatian blood. It is clear he has no powers."_

" _But he would also dilute the pure blood of the Cerinian race,"_ the oldest kaumatau pointed out. _"We should keep looking for more male Cerinians rather than using this poor boy for…such purposes."_

" _I can think of another use for him,"_ Namah said. Switching back to Cornerian she continued, "I have a proposition for you, Fox. We have decided to let you live among us, as long as you and Krystal fulfill your duties in the village. But there is something more you can do for me. We live in constant fear of Lylat. Your people are always on the hunt for us, and they may be on the hunt for you. It would be helpful to know more of our enemy. I would also like to know the fate of our sisters kidnapped and brought to your world. If you would tell me as much as you know about Lylat, I would do something in return for you."

"Are we already guaranteed a home here?" Fox asked.

"You are."

The tod thought for a moment. "My parents were involved with Cerinia years ago. When I first found Krystal I was looking for answers about them. How about a fair trade? You answer my questions about Cerinia, and I'll answer your questions about Lylat."

"An even exchange," the abbess nodded. "Done."

" _I still don't trust him,"_ the doubtful elder said.

Namah pursed her lips. Playing mediator and ultimate judge between so many different authorities seemed taxing. "Very well. You will be kept under close watch. The exits from the village will be guarded, and you will not be alone with the girl unsupervised."

Fox shrugged. "Doesn't sound like I have a choice."

"No, you do not." Namah turned and began walking back up the path. "Now come. I am sure you are tired and famished. We will prepare a substantial meal for you."

"Ugh, I can hardly wait."

Most of the elders followed Namah back onto the forest path, but two warriors stayed behind Fox and Krystal. When the vixen noticed Fox stumble a bit she rushed to his side to support him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just need some food in my stomach and a good night's sleep on a soft bed."

"They don't have beds like you had on your ship. They're flat, and lie on the floor. But they are comfortable."

"Ah. Futons. Well at least they're horizontal." Fox sounded disappointed.

Together they set off walking after Namah, and the two Kaumatau followed behind.

Fox's brow furrowed. "Hey, what were they saying in Cerinian? I couldn't understand any of it."

"I struggled to follow all of it too," Krystal admitted. "I know they were arguing about whether to let you stay in the village; the older one wanted you to, but the younger one didn't. She agreed to let us both stay if we did work."

"And what was the deal with the youngest one?" Fox pried. "What did she keep going on about?"

"I…didn't really understand it. But she said you were strong and…well-gifted?"

Fox's eyes widened. " _Oh_."

"She said you could help save the Cerinian race. How could you do that?"

"Let's…not think about that."

X

Farther ahead of them, Sister Āni caught up with Namah. "Forgive me Mother," she began, "but this test you conducted…you weren't only testing the Lylatian, were you?"

"As I said, I was testing both of our new guests. I tested the Lylatian for the Curse, as well as any hypnotic spell he might have possessed over Krystal."

But Āni shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. You weren't only discerning whether the girl's loyalty was genuine. My involvement – my role in this experiment, was to test her in the same way you tried the boy. You had me… _incite_ her, to lash out."

"You are quite observant, Sister Āni."

"And…?"

"And what?"

"Did she pass?"

Namah smiled and glanced back at Krystal, who marched a ways behind them.

"She did."


	21. Garden of Tears

X

Mission No. 21

Cerinia  
Altaira Valley

Garden of Tears

X

That evening the Cerinians brought Fox and Krystal before the council of elders, over which Namah presided. The Abbess and the other three elders who witnessed Fox's release explained to their sisters their decision, then consulted them to iron out the rest of the details. Even if Fox had paid attention to their bickering, he wouldn't have been able to understand. They argued in Cerinian, excluding him from the conversation and denying him any say in the matter. But that was fine by him, for as the Kaumatau argued over the specifics of his arrangement, Fox sat on the floor and gorged himself on a tray of food. Like the fruit Krystal had stealthily brought him earlier, he recognized none of the alien vegetables, though he was able to make sense of some in terms of the Lylatian fauna he knew. At the moment he didn't really care, and wolfed them down too fast to appreciate their novelty. Whatever the elders decided, Namah would fill him in at the end of the debate.

Once they were through, the elders agreed to let Fox stay in the village, but he wasn't to be left alone with Krystal at any time. As for his living arrangements, Fox was to board with the oldest male in the village; in fact, the _only_ other male in the village older than himself. He lived in his own house a ways away from the village and had room to spare for Fox. That way they could keep him as far away from the other residents as possible while still technically keeping him within the village. Krystal on the other hand was to share a house with Māra, her attendant, and several other women her age. Perhaps together they could acclimate Krystal to Cerinian customs. After all, she was a fast learner. But the message was clear. One was welcome. The other…slightly less so, to say the least. That was alright with Fox. He was just happy to have a new home.

After the council meeting, Fox and Krystal were separated. The vixen left him reluctantly, but Fox assured her he would be safe not too far away. Evening was coming on, but the darkening sky wasn't the only thing that beckoned Fox to bed. He'd barely had any sleep the past three days, besides the short respite Krystal gave him when she snuck away to visit him. He was so tired that, as a pair of Kaitaki escorted him, he stumbled along the village path and ignored the old-fashioned buildings around him. At this point he had a one-track mind: sleep.

The path lead out of the village and through a small forest. After crossing a wooden bridge over a stream they came out on the other side of the trees. Before them lay plains of rolling hills which bunched up against the cliffs encircling the valley, and upon the rearmost hill sat an elegant but small cottage constructed from the same mahogany wood, upwards-curved roofs, and reed walls that the rest of the village was made from. The guards dropped Fox off at the door and explained the situation to the elderly Cerinian that lived there, who seemed quite surprised at his arrival but curious. They bade him farewell and left him alone with Fox, though he suspected they might stay nearby to keep an eye on him.

Neither Fox nor the man could understand each other given the language barrier, but he saw that Fox could barely keep his eyes open and led him to a side room where he rolled out a second futon for him to sleep on. It wasn't the feather bed Fox craved, but anything was better than being tied to a stone for three days. Fox bid the old man goodnight and passed out on the futon, even though the sun had only recently gone down behind the mountains. And, for the first time in three nights, he slept peacefully on his own.

X

Bright and early the next morning, Fox was awakened by a delicious scent tickling his nostrils. His nose sniffed in hungrily and his eyes popped open. The elder's room greeted him, illuminated by the glowing rays of the early morning sun. It wasn't originally outfitted to be a bedroom from the looks of it, but seemed to be a storage room in some capacity. Fox doubted they had even warned the owner ahead of time to expect a long-term guest. What was his name again? Itoh? Toro? He couldn't have been bothered to learn the foreign-sounding name the night before, but he'd have to learn it today.

Fox sat up and yawned, stretching his arms gratefully. The covers fell away from his bare chest, and he noticed the pink robe Krystal gave him in a pile on the floor nearby. The elders had neglected to give him proper clothes, and Fox had to walk around the village and the Hall of the Matron's the entire time in a prissy pink garment. Hopefully they would stop by with his confiscated flight suit and jacket later…

At that moment the reed door to his room slid open, revealing the old man. Over his washed-out coat of sky-blue fur, he wore a set of simple brown robes that looked rougher and dirtier than the rest of the Cerinians' silken ones. His eyebrows, upper lip, and chin fur were all long and faded to grey, giving the appearance of bushy brows and facial hair. His form was rather stooped, and his hands were folded together inside his drooping sleeves. He looked around 70, but a sparkle in his eye told Fox he wasn't one to be trifled with just yet.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Fox leaned out of bed and grabbed his pink robe, but he paused when he had only gotten it halfway on. A quiet fizzing sound emanated from the man's whiskers, and the wrinkles on his face arranged themselves in a jolly fashion.

"Tatari," he instructed Fox, then left the room. When he came back he was holding a set of white linen clothes and undergarments. He bent over and handed them to Fox, who gratefully accepted them.

" _You can't go around the village dressed in nothing but a woman's robe, now can you? And a pink one at that."_

Fox's eyes lit up in surprise. He concentrated and felt the older Cerinian's mind overlapping his own. _"You are telepathic, too?"_

" _Aye, I possess the Curse. Most Cerinians have it in one form or another, and to different extents. For instance, the Kaitaki have the power to control things with their minds. Myself and the rest of the village? We can only communicate and share our feelings with one another. But you, my young friend, are exceptionally receptive; especially for a Lylatian."_

" _You've…met other Lylatians?"_

" _I have. But come, you must dress."_

Fox stood and turned away from the man, slipping on the linen undergarments. But he had trouble understanding the rest of the clothes. He held up an article that looked like it was meant to go around his legs. _"Is this a…skirt?"_

The elder straightened up and looked at him indignantly. _"Of course not! It is a shendyt."_

Fox wrapped the linen kilt around his legs as best he could. _"Sorry, I'm just not used to wearing something like this. Where I come from, we only wear pants. Most of the girls stopped wearing skirts, too."_

Next the elder handed him the light tunic, and Fox slipped it over his head. _"This set of clothes is mine; it's for work, though I don't have much use for it any longer."_

When Fox was done dressing the man finally offered him his hand, and Fox shook it. _"Well, now that we can speak as two equal, clothed men, what is your name, young one?"_

"Fox," he said aloud. "Fox McCloud."

The elder looked him up and down. _"An apt name."_

" _It's just a nickname, really,"_ he explained.

 _"Well Fox, I hope I once looked half as handsome as you do wearing these now._ _My name is Itoro. I told it to you last night, but you seemed to lose it amidst all the rest of the Cerinian I uttered. I didn't want to share thoughts because I thought I would frighten you, and it looked like you needed sleep."_

Fox laughed. _"In the state I was in last night, I probably would have fumbled my own name too, no matter how simple."_ But at that moment the wall of scent renewed its assault on his nose, and his stomach gurgled for food. _"Hey, is that breakfast I smell?"_

" _Indeed it is, and it's just about ready. Why don't we continue this over a hot meal?"_

X

Itoro seated Fox at a low-resting table in the largest room of his house, which adjoined with the kitchen and living area. He served him a plate of freshly cooked food still sizzling from the iron skillet over the stove. The fried meal was made from plantain-like fruit and sweet-potato-looking roots, and Itoro also presented him with a bowl of ripe fruit that Fox recognized from the time Krystal snuck him some. Needless to say, it was delicious.

Through a mouthful of food Fox said, "Thanks Itoro, this hits the spot."

" _I knew it would. But mind you, from now on you'll have to help me cook if you want to eat. Today was an exception; I just wanted to let you sleep in."_

Remembering his manners, Fox spoke with his thoughts instead. _"I really appreciate it. But how long was I asleep for? I feel like I slept through an entire day."_

" _Close to it. But I knew you needed the rest. I hear they were keeping you captive?"_

" _Yeah, they kept me tied up on a rock out by the water. Wouldn't let anyone see me, wouldn't let me eat or drink, and it was nearly impossible to sleep. Plus I went without shitting for three days."_

Itoro chuckled knowingly. _"Bless my soul!"_

 _"Did you have to go through the same trial when you first came to the valley?"_

The Cerinian shook his head. _"My trial was much different, though it tested the same things. It only lasted a couple of minutes. They tied me to a weight and tossed me into a deep enough part of the river where I could drown. They reasoned if I had the Curse I would free myself and rise to the surface in a miraculous display of my powers. If not, well, I'd stay down."_

 _"And obviously you didn't drown, so…"_

" _They left me floundering underwater till my old lungs nearly caved in! Of course Namah always intended to save me before I drowned."_

" _That's…kinda barbaric."_

Itoro nodded. _"I told them as much when they pulled me out, and the elders reluctantly agreed. Henceforth they used the endurance test instead. But it's a necessary evil, and I do not blame them_ _…_ much _. Before I found these sisters I traveled the wastelands with other survivors. Even the smallest disagreement could lead to enemies tearing each other's necks out without having to lay a finger on one's opponent. For a society to survive on this planet, they must be careful about who they admit."_

" _And…that's why there aren't any men here? Besides us, of course."_

Itoro sighed and looked out the window, absently clutching his water mug. _"I see you've been talking with Namah."_

Fox's eyebrows raised. _"Why? Was she lying about everything?"_

The old man's hesitation betrayed the conflict in him. _"She_ _…tends to exaggerate parts of the story based on her own fears. Allow me to paint a clearer picture of what happened_ _–_ _or at least, my own view._ _When the Curse first spread, powers beyond belief were dumped in the laps of many a Cerinian. They didn't know how to use them, nor how to trust someone else who likewise possessed an invisible weapon that could kill you at any moment. Cities were leveled. Sides were chosen. Friendships crumbled. For whatever reason, the Curse manifested itself more commonly and strongly in the men. Perhaps it had to do with biological and physiological differences in the brain. When Cerinians awakened to their powers, we men found ourselves with heavier burdens. We were likelier to develop more dangerous powers than just telepathy. Many couldn't handle the changes their brains underwent, nor the yoke of such powers, and they went insane. They destroyed without rhyme or reason._ _But most perished bravely in wars and small skirmishes amongst the ashes, protecting those they loved. Many of the women here are the widows or daughters of those that died."_

" _Are there_ any _male Cerinians left that are my age?"_ Fox asked.

" _If by 'your age' you mean 'not old or decrepit' like myself, then yes, there are. I know a few who, order to protect one another, became hermits, finding homes in the wastelands or wilderness and staying clear of one another so they wouldn't cause anyone pain. Some brought their wives with them and started families, I suspect. But no group larger than 3 or 4 could flourish without infighting. You must understand young Fox, that a village of this size is unprecedented in a time like this. The Abbess's scrutiny of outsiders and strict discipline of the Curse is what keeps this village together. Otherwise, no one in Altaira would feel safe around each other. Maybe somewhere out there is an enclave where men can flourish. Sadly I've never seen one, but I can still hope."_

" _Are there any other men in the village?"_

" _Mostly young children that the women here gave birth too or brought with them. Their husbands long gone, whether crushed by their own powers, self-exiled into hermitage, or dying in wars for the safety of their families. The Curse is a terrible power to live with. Even those that can only read minds are driven to hate and murder when they know what others think of them. It's taxing when not even your most private of thoughts are solely your own."_

He was right, Fox thought. It was hard to get used to Krystal's mind-reading habits when they first met. It took him awhile to adjust to having his secrets laid bare, and he still wasn't entirely comfortable with it.

 _"Namah's prejudices are not without basis in Cerinia's recent history, but that doesn't excuse or justify them. While men are more likely to have evolved stronger abilities and are inherently competitive, I don't agree with her policy of turning them all away._ _Regardless, it's only us now,"_ Itoro concluded, _"so the responsibility falls to the two of us men to protect and guide this helpless village of hens!"_

Fox laughed and leaned back on his pillow seat. _"Damn straight it does."_ The old man continued to fizz at his own joke.

A knock sounded at the door, and Fox straightened up in his seat. Itoro cleared his throat and said, "Tomo."

The door opened to admit Mother Namah and two members of the Kaitaki, who wore their signature grey cloaks and facial masks. Now that they were back within the village they let the masks simply hang around their necks, exposing their stern faces.

The elder Cerinian stood up and bowed. Fox rose from his seat as well, but didn't bother bowing. Namah and Itoro seemed to greet each other in Cerinian, then conversed shortly while glancing at Fox. The Lylatian merely rolled his eyes and waited impatiently for the results. When they were finished, Itoro patted Fox on the shoulder. _"The Abbess wishes to speak with you now. She plans to show you some of the village, but I told her she_ better _have you back by afternoon; there's work to be done around here."_

 _"And I'm sure you phrased it just as strongly,"_ Fox teased him. Itoro fizzed his laugh and set about gathering their plates. They said goodbye in their respective languages and Fox followed Namah outside.

X

The 'Abbess' as Itoro called her lead Fox through the village, while the two warriors trailed behind them. They seemed uneasy that a Lylatian was allowed so close to their mother, even when she was the most powerful denizen of the valley, and he was perhaps the least.

Fox wasn't aware of it, but his reaction to seeing Altaira Village was much like Krystal's own. The difference was Fox had an actual reference point from which to judge the town; he knew how old-fashioned – medieval, even, the village was, and how odd it was to find such an enclave after seeing the ruins of the modern city mere days before. It was evident Cerinia was an advanced civilization at one point, perhaps even equal with Corneria, but after the Cerinian holocaust the citizens of Altaira returned to a simpler, purer way of life.

Fox made note of the Cerinians' communal way of living. They were quick to help one another, eager to share, and willing to give away freely; provided, of course, that their sisters did their part. There were farmers with open storehouses of fruits, vegetables, grains, and fish; there were smithies and stone masons and carpenters that fashioned tools or constructed new houses; and there were weavers who sewed garments with lovely patterns.

For once Fox felt odd to be the one sticking out like a sore thumb. He was used to being singled out and given attention as a war hero, but even though he was a different species than the crowds that flooded him, at least _everyone_ was different in Lylat. He took orders from a hound, flew beside a falcon, had his ship fixed by a frog, and accepted wisdom from a hare. On Cerinia however, they were all the same, and _he_ was the only one different. Here hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at him curiously, as if he were a sideshow freak. Their pelts were similar cool hues of blues, purples, and greens, while his was a warm gold by contrast. Normally he would love having so much attention from so many beautiful women – especially with the prospects that one elder raised – but being the odd one out felt nerve-wracking.

Now he knew how Krystal must have felt.

Mother Namah was mostly silent, but she observed Fox's reaction to everything. Once they climbed up the hillside to the House of the Matrons, Fox was particularly intrigued by the humming stacks of copper disks, piled atop one another till they were as tall as trees. He was too tired and hungry to pay them any mind the night before.

He pointed to the towers. "What are those? Are they just for decoration?"

Namah glanced at the towers. "They do have a certain aesthetic charm to them. But they are meant to generate electricity. Ever since the Anomie, when our species awakened and society collapsed in the resulting chaos, a spiritual life force has flowed across Cerinia's surface."

"Sort of like ley-lines from folklore?"

Namah studied his mind closer to see what he meant. "Perhaps. Only instead of straight lines the currents reach out like the roots of a tree or blood vessels. One such 'ley-line,' as you call them, runs through Altaira Valley. And a powerful one at that. We have a…primitive form of technology that harnesses it. The copper disks react to the psychic energy by vibrating against one another. Their resonance creates an electric charge. We use underground copper wires to transport the current to various establishments around the village, but the program is still in its infant stage. Amazing how little one realizes they know about engineering without the aid of the world-web or textbooks."

"I guess it would be hard to rebuild a society from scratch, but that's still rather impressive."

"There is much work to be done. But come." Namah lead Fox inside the Matron's Hall, where he once again saw the elders seated in council. Today they were meeting with different women from around the village, conversing in Cerinian and probably advising them on different matters. It was quite loud in the hall from all the competing voices, so Namah guided Fox through a side door and a myriad of passages within the building. Eventually they came to a private room that jutted off from the rest of the hall like a peninsula. It was octagonal-shaped, with the walls made from folding reed partitions that opened to reveal a surrounding garden. Namah paused and gestured for Fox to enter, but she stopped the Kaitaki at the door.

Fox heard one of the Cerinians voice her concern, but the elder shook her head and spoke in a calming tone. They bowed to one another and the warriors reluctantly stood sentry outside the door, which Namah closed.

Fox looked around the room, admiring how luxuriant it was in contrast to Itoro's. The ground was carpeted and littered with large pillows. In cabinets around the room hung brilliantly-dyed robes with exquisite patterns stitched to the fronts, and valuable-looking trinkets lined the shelves. In the center of the room sat a raised bed with a canopy draped over top. Fox immediately eyed it with envy; he missed his feather bed after having to leave the Great Fox. Of course Namah saved all the good stuff for herself.

The Abbess seated herself on the bed and patted a pillow in front of her. "Please, sit."

The young tod hesitated, glancing suspiciously between the vixen and the pillow at her feet.

When she noticed she rolled her eyes. "Please young man, I am not trying to seduce you. Contrary to your misplaced hopes, we are not a village of pent-up women waiting to bed the first man we meet, or you would have been torn apart in the streets on the way here. I assure you we all have very different needs."

"And those needs would be…?"

"What we discussed earlier. The trade of information."

"Oh, well, if that's all…"

Fox obliged her and plopped down on the pillow by her feet. He had to look up a bit to make eye contact. Namah opened her mouth to ask a question, but before she could Fox blurted out,

"Are we safe here?"

Namah's thought caught halfway up her throat, and she paused for a second. "Safe? Do you mean from the rest of the village? Someone you are afraid of overhearing? The lawless Cerinians scourging the wastelands? Safe from the very Curse itself, or…?"

"From the Cornerians," Fox explained. "I'm afraid they're after me and Krystal. I hope I didn't end up leading them here."

"If you had, they would have attacked the village by now. It's been at least three days since we found you, and-"

"You mean since Krystal and I found _you_?" Fox interrupted.

Namah smiled knowingly and shook her head. "No Fox. If you lead them directly here we would have known by now."

"Then, is there a chance they might track us? Like over the desert?"

"Sandstorms obliterate the footprints of travelers overnight. You would also have erased your scents in the river. Even if they had a method of tracking your particular thought waves, Cerinia is a big planet, and the valley is well-hidden."

"Then how did Krystal find you if it's so difficult?" Fox asked. "When we first landed at the ruined city, she lead us straight to you."

"Because we lured you here. The Kaitaki have scouts patrolling the wastelands around the valley. They warn us if marauders or Lylatians approach, and lead them away if deemed harmful. But if a harmless wanderer happens to pass by, we lead them here. When they sensed your arrival in the ruined city, they took you for a Lylatian capturing one of our sisters – or using her to sniff us out. They made the decision to try to rescue her from you. So they lead you two to the river bank and I helped overpower you. Needless to say, they were wrong in their assessment. _We_ were wrong. It is a rare occurrence to find a Lylatian who cares so much for a Cerinian, and rarer still to find one daring enough to take her back home."

"Then we only found you because you wanted us to?"

"Precisely. Our village must remain safe both from Lylatians wishing to kidnap our sisters, and from our own kind who cultivate and use their powers solely for destruction."

"And there's _absolutely_ no chance they can track us?"

Namah pursed her lips and stared darkly at Fox. "There…remains a possibility. My sisters and I have encountered your people before, and had several of our own kidnapped, but since our exodus to the mountains we have remained safe. Perhaps one day they will finally discover us or engineer some way of rooting out every last Cerinian on the planet, and everything we have worked for here will crumble down, but I and many others are tired of running."

Fox nodded. "So am I."

The matron sighed. "Well, now that I have assured you of your relative safety, it is time to answer some questions for me. I saw much of your past through your memories, but it was only a cursory reading of your life, and my attention was solely on you. Tell me more about Dr. Andross. The experiments that made him exiled, the civil war, and your discovery of Krystal."

Fox exhaled a small whistle. "Well, it's a long story, but I'll do by best." He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I was only 11 when Andross was exiled. He tried to build a satellite and power it with a Cerinian at the core. Something somewhere went haywire, and the thing melted down. Thousands of lives were lost in the aftermath, and my mother…well, she was one of them. If you think your people were the only ones that suffered his evil, you're wrong. I loved my mother more than anyone else in the world, and having her taken from me…it changed me forever. I wasn't alone. Everyone wanted Andross to pay for his sins. It wasn't fair that he survived his own mistake, yet my mom – and everyone else there – didn't. So we made an example of him. We exiled him to Venom – a toxic planet that would've killed him in a few hours if things went as planned. But we should've known he'd have something up his sleeve. I don't know how, but he survived. And for the next five years, he raised an empire of pirates, smugglers, and disgraced scientists like himself.

"Well, eventually Corneria took notice of a stirring on Venom. My father was sent to investigate, though I think he begged General Pepper to let him go. He wanted revenge. But nothing could prepare him for what lay in wait. He…never came back. I was in Flight Academy at the time, learning how to be a good little soldier and all the theory behind flying a fighter craft. But the tedious curriculum only held me back. I dropped out and started my own team after I got the news. Then when war broke out two years later, the General relied heavily on my team. I was fueled by the same desire for revenge that drove my father. On every front we pushed Andross's forces back, but he left scorched ground in his wake. He polluted entire planets, enslaved populations, and mutated wildlife. If you were to see the state Lylat is in now, you'd realize Cerinia is just another one of his casualties."

There Fox caught himself. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to downplay what happened to you or your planet. I just want you to know that Andross was no friend of ours, either. He hurt us just as bad."

All through Fox's summary, Namah's face darkened into a somber expression. Her gaze was fixed far away, somewhere past Fox, as she brooded. When his pause dragged on, she looked up suddenly. "Sorry, I lost myself for a moment. Please, continue. How did you find Krystal?"

"Well, this all happened recently. I found out after the war that Andross had been experimenting with beings from another planet; Cerinia, which no one else in Lylat was supposed to know about. Well, my mother did. And my father. And Corneria, for that matter. I wanted to know how she was involved, so I traveled to Andross's labs and happened to stumble upon Krystal. I saved her from dying after…after another Cerinian unleashed her powers and began killing everyone she came across."

Namah nodded. "They desired us for our powers, but they couldn't control us. Nor could we always control ourselves."

"After that, I managed to escape with Krystal here. I'm sorry if that was too vague a summary, but I only found out what was going on behind the scenes a week ago. I was just a mercenary. I wasn't supposed to know anything; just follow orders, and my father kept everything hidden from me for my own protection, I guess." Fox looked down and laughed sheepishly. "You know, my godfather warned me not to poke my nose in places it didn't belong, but I didn't listen. Now look where it's landed me."

The Cerinian matron locked eyes with Fox. "And do you regret the things that happened?"

Fox clenched his teeth and nit his brow. He hesitated for a second.

"No. I think I'd do it all again."

Namah stood, which surprised Fox. She fixed him with a pitying gaze.

"Fox, your mother didn't perish with the satellite's destruction."

The tod's eyes widened. "W-what do you mean?"

"For your own sake, do not raise your hopes. I do not intend to disappoint you, but there is something you must know. Come."

X

Namah brought Fox behind the Matron's hall where a path lead into a wooded grove. Underneath the canopy of trees and lush plants was a garden; stone squares covered the ground, creating different paths that lead around the forest as well as open patios. Natural springs shot up like fountains between the tiles, then ran in rivulets between the stones and bushes down the hillside. Some of the most beautiful and largest flowers Fox had ever seen bloomed between the paths, which several Cerinian children tended to. They milled about with watering cans, hedge clippers, and strange powders. When they saw Namah approaching with Fox, they whispered in hushed voices to one another and scampered out of sight.

"What is this place?" Fox asked. He leaned his head back, taking in just how high some of the flowering plants towered.

The matron brushed leaves from a flat stone, in which writing was engraved that Fox didn't recognize.

"Māra o Roimata; the Garden of Tears. Our burial site for the dead."

Fox began to notice the rest of the burial markers, which were stacks of flat, rounded stones.

"It's so beautiful…" Rather than death, he felt a strong energy permeating the vibrant garden, as if barely contained by the stone tombs. "And it feels so…alive."

Namah let the leaves fall back over the epitaph. "And hopefully, one day all of Cerinia will as well."

She lead him deeper into the garden. At the far back of the graveyard they came up against a steep, moss-covered cliff. A strange, round-shaped stone lay against the side, almost as if blocking a tomb. But in front of it stood a stone statue. It was hunched over slightly, hugging itself. The smooth grey folds of a robe draped over its frame. From afar it looked feminine. As they approached Fox realized it was a vixen. Namah halted at the entrance to the terrace, but Fox didn't notice. He walked right up to the statue and examined the face. It was familiar; _more_ than familiar.

"Who is this?" he asked, even though the answer seemed just within reach.

"Your mother," Namah answered quietly, "Vixy."

Fox's blood ran cold when he finally recognized his mother's face; frozen in stone. His world began to reel about him, and he grabbed onto the statue's shoulders for support.

"My mother…came here, after the satellite exploded?"

"She did. As I said, she did not perish in Lylat. When he knew the rest of Lylat would come for him, Andross sent her here. He loved your mother, you know, though I doubt his love was returned. _Vixy…understood_ him, in ways no one else could…but she did not love him in the same way he loved her."

Fox brushed the hardened fur of the statue's cheek tenderly. "If she didn't die in the satellite, how did she come to die here?"

Namah looked down. "When Andross and Corneria first discovered Cerinia, Vixy was among the first to work with him. I do not know about your father's involvement, but Vixy and Andross headed the biological research program meant to study my people. He was responsible for accelerating our evolution and the resulting apocalypse."

"And my mother?"

"Around the time of the Anomie, your mother disappeared. Andross whisked her away before the holocaust. Then I assume he ferried her back immediately after his satellite collapsed. He had been…experimenting on her. She developed powers like the rest of us, though that is an understatement."

"What do you mean?"

Namah sighed. "She became much stronger than anyone else I had seen before. Even though she had a kind heart and gentle soul, she couldn't control it. The monster buried deep within her threatened to destroy the village. In her last act of mercy, she stopped that from happening. She…turned herself into stone."

Fox's paw froze on the statue's face – his _actual_ mother's face.

His head hung low, and his shoulders slouched. "Please, I'd like to be alone."

"I'm sorry," was all Namah said. Then he heard her quiet footsteps and the swish of her robe fading away.

Fox tried to relax his breathing. Slowly in, slowly out. His shoulders began to shake with each breath. His fingers grasped at the stone remains of his mother, clenching around the folds in her robe, gripping her own hands, but the warmth he remembered so well was gone. She was cold now, and could return nothing. In the depths of his heart he had always held onto the chance that she might still be alive. He had never seen her body. There hadn't _been_ a body. A thousand funerals held in the wake of Bolse Y's meltdown, yet all were for empty caskets. There was something hopeful about having a mysterious nebula for your mother's gravestone. As a child he always felt she could still be out there in the depths of space, and once he learned how to fly, he would find her.

And now he had.

The weight inside him became too much, and he dropped to his knees. He embraced the stone vixen and leaned his head against it. He could barely get the words out between his ragged breaths. A rock as solid as the grave markers around him formed in his throat, and tears began to form in his eyes. He could barely choke the words out.

"Please Mom. I hope you can hear me. I wish you were here with me now. I'm…sorry I wasn't there for you.

"I don't know what to do anymore. Nothing is simple like it used to be.

"No one's telling me what to do, or who to fight. I don't know who's good, or who's right.

"I'm so confused. I'm so alone.

"I have nothing left; I gave it all up.

"You were the only thing I came here for, and now you're gone.

"You and Dad were the only ones I ever loved."

His fingers clenched around her frozen robes.

"Please just…give me something. Anything to make me stay. I'm…praying to you. Help me."

X

She hesitated at the edge to the terrace. Across the stone floor she saw him kneeling, tightly embracing a woman's statue. For a moment she hid beneath the leaves of a bush, studying him between the green blades. She felt wrong for being there at all; for disturbing him. But a strong aura of sadness seeped from him, and she needed to know why.

Cautiously she crept onto the terrace; quietly, so as not to startle him. When she paused behind him she realized he was crying.

Kneeling, she placed a paw on his shoulder. "…Fox?"

The vulpine turned to her, his face ugly and contorted in a pained expression. Without answering, he dove forward and caught her up in a tight embrace. He hugged Krystal like he thought she would fade away or turn to stone if he let go. She had no idea what caused him such grief, or what brought him so much pain, but it didn't matter. Slowly she put her arms around him and massaged his back.

Fox burst out sobbing, and his shoulders trembled. She'd never seen his spirit so broken before, nor this amount of weakness in him. But she comforted as much as she could. In time he would heal, and it would all be over. But for now, his wet tears flowed freely down her shoulder and onto the floor, where they slipped between the cracks to join rivulets of spring water washed away in the Garden of Tears.

X

When the night passed on Zoness, Falco and Katt returned to Puke's lab for the results of her analysis. Knowing she would likely be sleeping in, they waited till the afternoon to pay her a visit. But to their surprise, Pukes was already up upon their arrival. Katt had barely gotten her second knock on the door when the green-furred vixen swung it open.

"Hey, welcome back! Come in, come in," she urged them. Neither Falco nor Katt were prepared to see Pukes up so bright and 'early,' nor so full of energy. She seemed to be possessed by a spirit not her own. And, judging by her still frazzled hair and twitching eyes, she hadn't gotten that full night of sleep she had planned on.

When Pukes seated them in the reception area, Falco commented, "I see those meds didn't really do the trick, huh?"

"The meds?" Pukes looked at him in confusion. "Oh, they were fine. More than I expected, even."

Falco peered at her suspiciously. "But it _looks_ like you didn't get any sleep at all."

"Not a wink!" she beamed at them, left eye twitching. "Well, maybe I dozed off a couple of times, but I always was able to find where I left off!"

Katt felt suspicious as well. "You look rather excited. I guess the results of the test were…interesting?"

Pukes looked like she could barely contain herself. She leaned across the coffee table, inviting Falco and Katt to do so as well. When she spoke it was little more than a hushed whisper, but with the energy of a child discussing all the presents they thought Santa might bring them for Christmas.

"Crystal lysergic acid alters the makeup of the brain. Specifically several organs that literally _no one_ understands what they do. Scientists presumed they atrophied over time from disuse, or even that different species around the Lylat are just devolving them. But this chemical you brought me reactivates them!"

"And?" Falco asked excitedly. "What does it do?"

"Well, last night I tried a sample and-"

But Katt interrupted. "Wait, don't tell me you _drank_ some of it."

Falco waved her off. "Don't worry, it's harmless."

The feline turned on him. "What do you mean!? _You've_ tasted it too!?"

"Just a few drops!"

Katt slapped a paw over her face. "You know, if you stopped tasting every chemical that came your way, maybe you'd throw up less and we wouldn't have to keep calling you Pukes."

"Nah, her fur color would still look like vomit."

"It does not!"

"Alright, whatever, I'm sorry for insulting your horrible choice in green. Now, can you tell us about the drug?"

The vixen pouted for a minute, then sighed. "Alright. I identified the components. It's made from a chemical found in psychedelic mushrooms in addition to the lysergic acid. Several more of the ingredients are found in OTC meds, others can be extracted from…various commercially-available sources."

"And what does it do?"

Pukes steepled her fingers and locked eyes with Falco.

"That's the funny thing. In addition to activating dormant areas of the brain, it increases the sensitivity of mirror neurons. I think once when I passed out I dreamed I was someone else nearby. I think I was eating a burger, but it was so _real_ …" She licked her lips and stared off into space. "It was the best goddamn burger I've ever had…"

Falco raised his eyebrows expectantly. "And…?"

"Ahem, yes, and the chemical also increased dopamine response, though that may have just been the result of dreaming I ate a good fucking hamburger." She leaned in again. "So…now that you know what it's made from and what it does…what are you planning to do with it?"

Falco's expression sombered and he scratched the underside of his beak.

" _Falco…"_ Katt growled, "you don't want to get involved in this."

"Well, we can't consume 15 liters of the stuff by ourselves, now can we?"

" _Falco!"_

He looked at Pukes. "You can synthesize more of it, right?"

"All of the ingredients are available through…different means," Pukes answered. "Like I said, we just need some OTC meds for anxiety and migraines. Ibuprofen, aspirin – heck, even cough syrup. The rest I can extract from dish detergents and other household cleaning products."

Katt shot up from her seat in frustration and began pacing about the room. "I do _not_ want any part in this."

"What about the chemical from the mushrooms?" Falco asked doubtfully.

Pukes smiled. " _We_ are in luck." She placed a printed page from a scientific journal in front of Falco, featuring a photo of a clump of mushrooms and several paragraphs of text. " _Psilocybe crystallinus._ The Bureau imported tons of the stuff to help clean the spilled oils and toxins polluting Zoness. It was one of the products the Venomian Containment and Reclamation Program originally unearthed. The mushrooms are being spread all over the Districts to filter the pollutants from the sea in a process called "mycoremediation." We can take as much as we want and no one will notice."

As Falco poured over the document, he noticed a series of strange circular patterns Pukes had doodled alongside her notes, but brushed them aside.

"If we want to keep selling the stuff, we'll need to reorganize the team. We'll need to collect the ingredients, get them to you, package it, and distribute it."

Pukes sighed and slumped back in her chair. Her eyes flickered shut. "It'll be just like old times…"

A thought still nagged at the back of Falco's head. "Say Pukes, did you end up taking those meds I gave you or not?"

She yawned but did her best to hold it in. "I didn't; I wanted to stay up to study the crystal lysergic acid. But I didn't have to take them to know their effects."

"What were they?"

Now struggling to keep her eyes open, Pukes sat back up.

"About that…"

X

Once Pukes finished catching them up-to-date on her findings, she insisted on staying up to research more of the chemical, but Falco and Katt would hear none of it. Together they grabbed her arms and legs and forcefully carried her upstairs to bed. While Katt stayed behind to tuck her in, Falco returned downstairs. He stepped out into a back alley for a smoke; and to make a call.

On his PDU he tapped Peppy's icon and waited a few moments for the hare to answer. It took a few rings, but eventually he picked up.

"Falco! Good to hear from you. How are things in Zoness?"

Falco filled him in on Pukes' findings, and the rabbit _mhmm_ -ed along.

"This confirms my initial suspicions. Crystal lysergic acid is the chemical Andross used to awaken Cerinians' psychic abilities. I suggest you get rid of the stuff – _fast."_

"Don't worry old-timer, I'm planning on it."

Peppy sighed. "There's no telling what affects it might have on Lylatians, so best stay away from it."

"Anything else I can do for ya gramps?"

"Lie low; and stay safe. Thanks for looking into this for me. I'm still investigating other matters with Slippy. He managed to secure a job at Dawson-McLean, which means he'll be contracted out to any number of Cornerian intelligence agencies."

"Ha, I knew Slippy could land the job."

"I'm sorry there's not much you can do for me right now, Falco, but I'll keep you posted."

"Sure thing."

"Again, thanks for filling me in. I'll be sure to call you sometime next week to check in."

Falco caught him before he hung up. "Hey wait; there's one more thing gramps."

"Yes?"

Falco lowered his voice. "That friend of mine who analyzed the drug? I had her check Fox's meds as well."

"He needed those wherever he's going." Peppy sounded worried. "Well? Anything noteworthy?"

"Yes. Though they were watered down and had a few extra chemicals used to treat PTSD…

"They were the exact same."

X

 _(Author's Note: Based on feedback from Jack64, I've changed some of Itoro's exposition to give an alternate view of Cerinia's backstory)_


	22. Kaitaki

X

Mission No. 22

Cerinia  
The Hall of the Matrons

Kaitaki

X

Early the next morning, while sun rays still coaxed the mist from the grass, Fox entered the Hall of the Matrons. Inside the main atrium was already bustling with activity, but not as much as it would be by midday. Several of the elders were dispersed about the main floor, advising villagers with their troubles.

As soon as he entered, Fox's ear perked from hearing a familiar voice on his left. He turned to see Krystal lying beside her attendant on a small cushioned stage, a plate of breakfast shared between them. What was her attendant's name again? Māra? The two of them were nearly inseparable, as Māra tended to follow Krystal around wherever she went like a protective older sister. The girls had been whispering and laughing to one another before he came in, but the moment he entered they fell into a hush and looked his way. In fact, the sudden quiet continued until it enveloped the whole room.

Undeterred by all the attention, Fox walked down the center lane of the hall and paused before the raised stage where the Kaumatau sat. By now most of their eyes were fixed on him, though some of the elders had returned to counseling the other villagers again.

Namah looked down at him, dressed in her flowing purple robes and seated at the center of the Kaumatau. "Well Fox, we have granted you an audience. Please speak your mind."

At once the young tod felt nearly a dozen Cerinian minds brush up against his own, waiting to hear and translate his response. He bowed, doing his best to hide his nervousness while outwardly exuding confidence. "I came with a request."

"And? What is it you ask of us?"

With a firm jaw he stated, "I wish to be trained as a Kaitaki."

The elders had to stifle their laughs and conceal smiles to maintain a show of solemnity. Even though the Kaumatau were trained to hide their emotions, many of the women couldn't help but betray them. They hadn't even refused his request outright, but if this reaction was any indication…

Unlike the other women, Namah's stoic expression did not change. At least she wasn't bent on humiliating him. "I'm sorry, but Lylatians are not permitted to learn the ways of the Curse – much less a young, impulsive boy like yourself."

"Why not?" Fox challenged.

"Lylatians simply do not have the Curse in the first place. Being a Kaitaki is not about cultivating magic powers. It's about restraining and taming what is already up here," she finished while tapping her head.

"But if my mother developed the Curse, isn't it possible that I could as well?"

Namah pursed her lips and refrained from answering for a moment. Finally she responded, "Even if you _could_ contract the Curse on your own, why would we trust one like yourself with such power? You seem to forget the reason we permitted you into the valley in the first place."

"You trusted _her_ ," Fox stated. As he expected, knowing looks came across each of the Kaumatau's faces. "She was a stranger among you. An outsider like myself. Yet you accepted her into the village and trained her as a Kaitaki, didn't you?"

"We… _did,"_ Namah stuttered. No one had outright told Fox, but he'd expected as much given her strength.

"Then why not me, her son? I'm the child of one of this village's sisters, which means I belong to Altaira like the rest of you." He made eye contact with each of the elders one-by-one. "I know not all of you, or even most of you, are comfortable with my being here. But like it or not, this is my home now. I'm here to stay. I have just as much reason to protect this village as anyone else. And if you think I have no reason to like any of you, well…maybe you're right. Some of you have been kind to me. Others…a bit prejudiced, to say the least. Maybe I wouldn't be protecting the village for your sake." He turned back and looked at Krystal, who watched him with interest. "But I'd protect it for hers. And…if my own mother gave her life protecting this village…it must be worth fighting for."

Some of the elders seemed moved by Fox's speech; even the ones who still held deep-seated distrust of him. They saw his concern for Krystal was genuine; after all, he'd traveled this far with her already. But the revelation that Vixy was his mother seemed to strike an even deeper chord. Apparently they were quite familiar with her.

"Still…you are not your mother," Namah pointed out. "We do not know you personally. Nor do we trust you."

"But _you_ do," Fox said to Namah. "You saw my past. You saw who I am. It's my job to protect people, and others have been rewarded for entrusting me with power. I'm used to fighting for good."

"And I have also seen your fall from grace," Namah answered. "Once you had nothing to fight against you wreaked havoc on your own people. Your own loss of purpose proved to be your downfall. With nothing to fight here, how would you vent your powers?"

Fox glanced around, noting the worried and even fearful expressions on the Kaumatau's faces. This was the first time they had heard of his little…"escapades" after the war.

"But you have enemies here," Fox argued. "There _are_ people to fight. The Cornerians are coming to recapture Krystal, and when they find us here there's no telling what they'll do to your village."

At this point Krystal sat up and stared at Fox worriedly, concerned by his warnings.

Fox wet his lips before continuing. "They're normally nice people, I promise you, but they're also desperate. And…and even if you don't think they'll ever find us, let me instead patrol the wilderness with the rest of your rangers. You have to defend against wandering Cerinians. You _need_ my help."

Namah shook her head. "Young one, if you think the Curse has been beneficial to Cerinia in any way, you haven't been paying attention. I thought the name was a simple enough indicator of its true nature. You think telepathy and the ability to control any object with your mind is a _blessing?"_

"Why not? I've seen the creatures you've bred here, I've seen the fruits and vegetables you cultivated, and I've seen breathtaking structures out in the desert! Your people have done great things with these powers."

"And you've seen the vacant ruins, hideous monsters, and shrines to death. No matter the potential for good you've seen as a result of these powers, the potential for evil always triumphs. Do you really think most people with our abilities would use them to _create_ when it's so much easier to _destroy_?"

"Then how will you defend your village with such dangerous people out there, beyond the mountains? You _need_ to train me."

 _"My dear rāgata,"_ the words of another elder echoed in his mind, _"If half this planet's population possessed a bomb, would you diffuse the situation by giving the other half bombs, or by removing them completely?"_

"I'd entrust the _right_ people with the right power."

The elder who had spoken tilted her head to look down at him skeptically. _"And who are these 'right' people? You, perhaps?"_

"I'd like to think so. It worked out for my people once before. And obviously _you_ don't train just anyone to become Kaitaki."

"No, we do not," Namah answered, "but you don't understand the purpose of the Kaitaki."

Fox crossed his arms. "Enlighten me."

"No one here _chooses_ who joins the guardians, Fox. It's not like my sisters and I meet to decide who the next initiate is. _Everyone_ who shows exceptional levels of the Curse must become a Kaitaki. Their purpose isn't to protect us from outsiders." Namah tapped a finger against her chest. "Their purpose is to protect us from _themselves_. If one of our daughters displays anything more dangerous than telepathy, we immediately begin training her as a future guardian. We teach the Kaitaki discipline and self-control and right from wrong. We teach them how to keep their powers contained, and how to safely release them when needed. If we didn't, this village would have been torn stone-from-stone years ago. Perhaps it wouldn't have existed in the first place."

Fox glared at her. "Are you saying I'll have to develop powers on my own before you'll train me?"

Namah gazed at him with concern. "I'm saying you should pray you never do. Many of our healers are actively looking for ways to _get rid of_ the Curse, evolving us back to the way we were before. We would never intentionally expose anyone to the Curse to gain powers. But…there is someone else who has already been exposed…"

Fox followed Namah's eyes to the back of the room, and at the same time he and Krystal realized who she meant.

"What!? You can't mean Krystal. She's…she's just a young girl! It's too dangerous."

"It is precisely because she is a young, confused girl that we must act now. For years she has been little more than an experiment for cold-hearted scientists. They've always trained her to release her powers as much as she can. They wanted to turn her into a weapon. _We_ must teach her to keep her powers _in._ I've seen much darkness in her."

Fox raised his eyebrows and stared at Namah in disbelief. "Darkness? In _Krystal?_ Excuse me, but how long have you even known her? She's the gentlest person I know."

"And how long have _you_ known her?" the Abbess shot back. "I've raised dozens of girls like her. Each one of them appears just as innocent, but they all harbored fears deep inside. Everyone lost something after the Anomie destroyed our world. Krystal is no exception; she's faced tortures beyond description and has never known love for most of her life. Mark my words, Fox; deep within her is a seething hatred for her torturers, a hatred that's waiting to boil over if anyone wrongs her again. You saw what she did to Sister Āni."

"Which she did that to save _me!_ You also saw her back away when confronted a second time!"

The Abbess nodded. "Which is why we know she is not yet too far gone. Fox, like you, I only want the best for her. But _unlike_ you, I've seen stories like hers play out again and again. I hope you will yield to my judgement in the matter."

In the end Fox clenched his fists, but said nothing. He looked down at the floor.

"Krystal," Namah instructed, "come here, my child."

The young vixen looked to Māra for guidance, who in turn nodded reassuringly. She slipped off the raised platform and walked to the front of the room, her turquoise robes brushing against the floor. She stopped beside Fox, glancing at him momentarily before meeting Namah's eyes.

"Krystal, whether a blessing or a curse, fate has seen fit to give you extraordinary powers; more than you know what to do with. If you are not careful, you could end up hurting Sister Āni again, or another one of your sisters…or even Fox."

At this revelation Krystal looked at the young tod, worry in her eyes.

"But if you make an effort to learn our ways and control your impulses, you can protect everyone you love from yourself. So, will you train with us?"

The vixen's shoulders drooped. "It doesn't sound like I have a choice…"

Namah gave her a pitying look. "Unlike your former captors, we cannot force you to learn. It is up to you whether or not you accept our teachings and grow from them. We will never bring you pain, nor inflict punishment on you for failing. I swear this to you, Krystal. The only consequence if you do not learn is the destruction you will cause yourself."

The vixen set her chin. "Well, alright. If it will keep me from hurting anyone as you say, I'll do it."

The elder Cerinian exhaled a breath and smiled warmly. "Thank you, Krystal. It's for everyone's good; yours most of all."

Then to Fox's surprise, he felt Krystal take his hand in hers and squeeze it. He looked up from the floor at her, but she still had her head turned towards Namah. Instead she spoke to him through her thoughts. _"I'm doing this for you, Fox. I can't bear the notion of hurting you."_

Fox squeezed her paw back. _"I don't believe for a second you ever could."_ He turned his attention back to Namah. "Regardless, I still wish to become a Kaitaki; powers or no powers."

The Abbess chuckled. "And how would you defend this village, young Fox, without the psychic abilities of those around you?"

"Through physical strength…and, well, wits. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I don't want to be helpless if an enemy Cerinian were to find their way into the village. I can at least prove a match against any Cornerian that might stumble upon us. To that end, I wish to practice hand-to-hand combat. I'll lose my mind if all I ever do here is pick vegetables for that old geezer."

Another one of the Kaumatau spoke to Namah in Cerinian, looking at Fox with distaste. But Namah waved her off, telegraphing her response to all those present.

" _I see no reason why we shouldn't train you in hand-to-hand combat. If you ever turned against us, we could easily overpower you with our minds. You will never be counted as a Kaitaki…but I appreciate your willingness to defend our village all the same."_

A second Kaumatau cleared her throat, though it was more to draw attention to herself than to prepare her voice. _"_ We _appreciate your willingness,"_ she corrected Namah. A number of the other elders expressed their agreement.

"Very well," Namah concluded aloud, "we will educate Krystal in the ways of the Kaitaki, and you shall be trained to fight in more conventional styles. I am sure we can find a sister willing to spar with you and oversee a physical training routine. We shall take care of it."

Fox finally smiled uneasily and released his breath. He bowed in respect. "Thank you, my Matrons, for listening today and granting this request. I am eager to help in any way I can." He turned to Krystal and sensed that both of them hated having to say goodbye, but all the same he gave her hand another squeeze and left the Matron's Hall.

X

Later in the afternoon the elder that had expressed her support for Fox came to find him. She informed him they had located a suitable trainer, then lead him to a smithy that sat immediately beneath the Matron's Hall. She quietly brought him behind the building to the moss-covered backyard. When they arrived another Cerinian was currently moving aside tools and half-finished projects that littered the yard.

Fox turned back to the elder to thank her, but was surprised to see she had already returned to the front of the blacksmith forge. She smiled and bowed before gliding away.

The vulpine raised his hand and waved at her, calling out, "Thank you!"

He turned back to his intended sparring partner, who approached him while dusting off her hands. If Fox had to guess, he'd say she was the blacksmith of the forge they were to practice behind. She was taller than most Cerinians, and taller than Fox as well. Beneath her wine-colored fur she was well-muscled and fit, but not in an exaggerated, body-builder fashion. Her ponytail of silver hair made her look older, but she couldn't have had more than a few years on Fox. Like him she wore a white shendyt, but instead of a tunic she had a silken wrap around her chest, leaving her midriff bare; an outfit made for activity rather than the more modest, decorated robes the other Cerinians wore. All-in-all she was quite the formidable opponent.

 _Well,_ Fox thought, noting her dark velvet-colored fur, _at least if I bleed on her it won't be noticeable._

The blacksmith stopped in front of him, planting her feet and crossing her arms over her chest. Her stare was both harsh and curious. "Ahau kite! Koe ko te rāgata ahau ko i a'o?"

Fox frowned, once again realizing the language barrier. He tapped his skull and said, "Sorry, I can't speak Cornerian. You'll have to do your little mind tricks instead."

"Eh?" she exclaimed, screwing up her face in confusion. The woman rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then took a tentative peek into his mind.

" _Hello?"_ Fox telegraphed. _"Make yourself comfortable; we're going to be spending a lot of time here."_

" _I see you can't speak the common tongue,"_ the woman noted.

" _Yeah, well, where I come from it ain't the common tongue."_

It was like learning to talk with Krystal and Itoro all over again, but instead of a gentle girl or frail old man, he was talking to someone who could quite possibly beat him to a pulp if he offended her with a stray thought. But until he learned the language he would have to make do. Telepathy was probably the fastest way to learn a language, anyway. When someone spoke – or rather, thought – they would often summon an array of neural images and involuntarily fire the muscles used for speech, which made pronunciation easier to learn as well. As with the others, Fox could feel her merely _thinking_ about speaking aloud.

" _My apologies. I said, 'so you are the foreigner I am to teach.'"_

 _Rāgata,_ Fox repeated to himself. It was a word he'd heard all too commonly used to describe him, but regardless he bowed. _"Pleased to meet you. My name is_ Fox," he finished aloud.

She nodded and answered with, "Kaia. _I am a tool smith for the village._ "

" _Thank you for agreeing to train with me. The elder told me you were the only fighter who volunteered."_

She shrugged – apparently a universal gesture. _"I'm not surprised."_

" _So_ _…_ _what? Were you like the only one who wasn't scared of me, or the only one willing to help a Lylatian?"_

She looked him up and down, her teal eyes complimenting her darker fur. _"I did not sense any danger. If you posed any serious threat you would not have come to me to learn how to fight."_

Fox's shoulders slumped. _"I guess that's one way of looking at it…but why help me?"_

" _I was…curious. Curious to see what a Lylatian looked like, in addition to a male. And by male I mean a grown man –_ _not the young children we have running around the village, or Old Man Itoro, who you must admit isn't much of a physical specimen."_

Fox spread his arms out. _"Well, I hope I don't disappoint."_

She looked at him with an uninterested expression. _"You do. My friends imagined you'd have two heads, pincers for hands, and dagger-sharp teeth. Instead I find a young fox who lacks breasts. Your gold fur is interesting, as well as your alien language…but besides that, you are quite ordinary."_

"… _Is that good, or bad?"_

Kaia shrugged. _"It will make training you easier; I didn't exactly know the best sparring practices for pincers. But I will only train with you on one condition."_

" _Shoot."_

The vixen smiled. _"I'll be your trainer if you let me tell my friends you in fact have_ three _heads, not two_ , crab _claws for hands, and can breathe fire."_

" _They'll be sorely disappointed once they see me in person, but you'll have to face the fallout, not me. It's a deal."_

Fox held out his paw for Kaia to shake, but she just stared at it awkwardly.

" _It's…a hand,"_ he pointed out, rather obviously. _"You shake it. Like…when you make a deal with someone."_

" _But…what does shaking your hand have to do with it?"_

" _It's Lylatian custom."_

" _It's a funny custom."_

Fox quickly grew frustrated. _"Look, people would make fun of me for knowing trivia like this, but it's to show I don't have a weapon on hand."_

She looked down at his paw. _"But I can clearly see that from here."_

He rolled his eyes. _"It's not like_ you _even know where bowing comes from, yet you do it all the time."_

" _Of course I know. Bowing shows respect. Which you seem to have little of."_

" _But_ why _do you bow?_ How _does it show respect?"_

This seemed to stump Kaia for the moment. "Um…"

Fox shoved his paw towards her again. _"Just take my damn hand!"_

Finally giving in, Kaia accepted his paw. Her grip was weak even though she easily could've pressed harder with her strength. But she suspiciously glanced at Fox's free paw. _"How am I supposed to know your other hand isn't carrying a weapon?"_

Rather than argue the point, Fox pursed his lips and thrust his left hand at her as well, allowing her to shake it.

When Kaia had enough of "handshaking," she let go and stepped back. _"Take your tunic off,"_ she demanded.

" _I'm not hiding any weapons there, if that's what you're-"_

" _I'm not afraid of that. I want to see your physique."_ She snapped her fingers. _"Tunic. Off."_

Fox shrugged out of the shirt, balling it up and tossing it to the side. While the weather in Altaira Valley was slightly chilly, the atmosphere was quite muggy, and he felt more comfortable with it off. It would be the perfect weather to train in.

Kaia studied his arms and torso intently, sizing him up and down while walking around him in a circle. He felt a bit awkward through the process, but had nothing to be ashamed of. At least, not much…

When she completed her circuit and stood in front of him again she halted. _"Well, you are already quite fit. At least more than the other women in the village,"_ she complimented. _"But you still have some fat to work off."_

"Haha, _I can explain that. I used to be a…warrior, you could say, but then I came back victorious and, well…took things easy for awhile."_

" _It shows,"_ Kaia said while jabbing some of the loose skin around his belly. Instinctively Fox flinched. _"Tell me, is it true what the older women say about men? That you all have the same weak point?"_

Fox knew exactly what she meant but didn't quite understand herself. It wasn't something he wanted to explain anyway, both for the inevitable awkwardness and because he'd wasted enough time bantering with Kaia. So instead he answered, _"You wanna find out?"_

She grinned condescendingly and lowered into a fighting stance. _"Alright. Let's see what you're made of, Lylatian. Better protect your weak point."_

Fox smiled as well, eager to get on with things. Having some training in the Academy – though it was three years ago – he had some prior experience in hand-to-hand. He angled his hips sideways, staying loose on his feet while keeping his fists raised to protect his head and chest.

" _You know,"_ he teased, _"I've never hit a girl before."_ Then he remembered his brief but bloody fight against the rogue Cerinian in Venom's labs and faltered. _"At least, I_ think _I haven't_ …"

But Kaia chose that moment to attack, surprising him. She swiped her foot towards his groin, proving to Fox the elders where right about the fabled male "weak point" of yore. Just in time however he lowered his elbow and caught her shin against his forearm, though his bones still rattled from the blow.

" _You're allowed to kick!?"_ he mentally exclaimed.

She returned a confused expression. _"Yes? It's_ … _combat. Why wouldn't I be?"_

Fox rotated his shoulders. _"Girls always kick…"_

Kaia came at him again, this time jabbing one fist after another at his face. Fox's eyes widened. He managed to deflect the first fist with his own, but almost wasn't ready for her immediate follow up. His second defense was clumsy, but enough to work. The lunge left her dangerously close to him and faltering after a failed attack. One of her feet was shakily planted between his own, and Fox sensed the perfect opportunity for a counter attack-

But instead of retreating away again, Kaia pulled her other leg in for support and brought her closer knee straight up…into Fox's unprotected groin.

The tod's eyes bulged and he fell to his knees, wincing at the concentrated bolt of pain he felt. It was so great that he rolled onto his side, soaking up the dew-covered moss into his fur and clothes.

Kaia just stared down at him in awe, an equally-shocked expression covering her face. _"I'm sorry!"_ she exclaimed, _"I didn't know it would hurt that much!"_ Then, when Fox still didn't get up after a short time passed, she regained her composure and looked at him suspiciously. _"Alright, come on! You're just faking it."_

But Fox shook his head vehemently, clutching his wounded pride. _"No, trust me, it does! I am not exaggerating."_

" _I didn't even hit you that hard!"_

" _It doesn't take much,"_ he insisted. He could easily invite Kaia deeper into his mind so she could experience what he actually felt, but decided against it. _"You know how much it hurts when you hit your funny bone on something? Imagine that, but like, ten times worse."_

Kaia crossed her arms and shook her head in disbelief. _"Well, men really are weak after all."_

Suddenly growling, Fox ignored the pain and swept his foot underneath Kaia, kicking her legs out from under her. The Cerinian was completely taken by surprise and went down like a felled tree. Fox used her momentary fall to safely rise to his feet again, preparing for her next attack.

Kaia sprawled across the ground, glaring up at him. _"Do all Lylatians play dirty like you?"_

" _I don't know about Cerinia, but in Lylatian culture hitting below the belt is universally considered a dick move."_

" _You're forgetting who the teacher is here,"_ Kaia growled before launching to her feet. She renewed her assault on Fox with a volley of punches and kicks, and it was all the pilot could do to keep up.

X

Far up above them, from a room in the Matron's Hall, Krystal watched the pair of vulpines fight. The left side of the room lacked a wall, instead featuring a scenic view of much of Altaira Valley. The open space overlooked the steep hillside upon which the Hall of the Matron's stood, and at the base of which sat Kaia's smithy. Though Mother Namah was currently giving Krystal some lesson in Cerinian history, the girl's attention was on the two sparring figures below.

Namah sat on a cushion opposite Krystal, legs folded beneath her. Two small sand boxes lay between them, full of grains likely gathered from the riverbank. Admittedly she was curious about their use, but so far Namah hadn't even acknowledged their existence yet, and she had lost interest.

When it became clear to Namah her student wasn't listening, her ear twitched.

" _Krystal?"_ she asked with practiced patience.

The vixen quickly snapped her head back around to face her. She felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment. _"Yes?"_ she responded sheepishly.

" _Please pay attention! This is important."_

She dipped her head. _"I'm sorry, ma'am."_

Namah sighed. _"As I was saying, leading up to the Anomie, all Cerinians developed psychic abilities similar to your own. Our species can connect on a spiritual level we could never reach in the physical realm alone. Together we share a spiritual life force called_ mauri. _In essence, it is the common soul of the Cerinian race. This is why we are so different from Lylatian outsiders – like Fox, for instance. It is the invisible space through which we can share thoughts; the reason we can communicate right now. We can share imagined pictures, memories, even our sensory experiences directly with one another. It is the purest form of communication; expression without medium. No words, no symbols, no representation. Just pure, shared existence._

" _However, most Cerinians have not awakened to the extent we have. You and I and the rest of the Kaitaki are…different. While Māra and the normal villagers can overlap minds with one another,_ we _can effect the physical world. You've demonstrated that power before; you've untied the rope that held Fox without even touching the knots. You've even knocked Sister Āni unconscious by instantaneously halting the neurons in her brain from a dozen feet away. A power like ours is a very dangerous one. We can either create…"_

The sand in the box before Namah suddenly rose up into a cylindrical tower shape, startling Krystal.

"… _Or destroy."_

The force holding the minuscule grains together vanished, and the tower collapsed back into a formless heap.

" _Above all else we should learn proper restraint and keep our powers in check. Otherwise, we could lash out in a moment of rage and hurt those around us. Especially those we love."_

She paused, during which time Krystal noted her dour expression and downcast gaze.

" _This is why we identify sisters in the village who have such capabilities. We train them as Kaitaki, teaching not only restraint, but also safe methods to vent such power. For instance; protecting the village or helping others with tasks that require super-Cerinian strength. Above all else, Krystal, we should only use our powers when absolutely necessary, and avoid using them in any amount of excess…"_

Krystal began to tune the Abbess out again. She felt intrigued by the tower Namah had built from sand. While she continued talking, Krystal reached out with her mind and felt the grains of sand in the box before her. She took great pains to not move a muscle, sitting as still as a statue with her legs and arms folded to mimic Namah's posture. Once she could properly feel the sand, she imagined a set of invisible hands gathering it together in the center of the box. To her delight, a tower like Namah's began to form, though much less neat; it wobbled in place, and showed obvious signs of where her imagined fingers shaped it.

Eventually Namah trailed off, following Krystal's gaze to the sandbox in front of her and the trembling pillar in the midst of it.

"Krystal…"

The young vixen's eyes widened, and she hastily squashed the tower down – a little too hastily, in fact, as it sent a puff of residue into the air that rose in swirling eddies between them. To her dismay, Namah did not seem amused.

" _Sorry…"_

The Abbess shook her head, smiling. _"I didn't come here to play with sand buildings, my child. You seem to have missed the entire point of my lecture. But since you can't sit still-"_

" _But I was still!"_ Krystal pouted.

" _Since you…are so_ eager _to learn,"_ Namah corrected herself, _"I will move on. Our first lesson will be on mandalas."_

Namah began tracing her claw through the sand as she spoke, and Krystal watched with exaggerated attention.

" _Never let your emotions get the better of you. Sometimes you may feel sad, or angry, or terrified, or even just confused when your life doesn't make sense. You may be tempted to lash out and break something, as if you could just destroy your problems outright. It might even give you a momentary sense of relief. But senseless destruction is never a solution. Instead, you must control your emotions with an iron grip. They are_ your _emotions; do not let them own you._ "

As Krystal watched, Namah drew an increasingly-intricate circular pattern with her claw. The line began in the center of the sand, then endlessly spiraled out and twisted away from itself as she continued.

" _This is a mandala. It's a simple exercise intended to help you meditate. Forget whatever is troubling you. Let go of your own emotions. Focus on this simple task of drawing the pattern. It doesn't have to be any particular shape; whatever comes to your mind will do. Breathe in and out, deeply, and gently continue the pattern. It's more than just an exercise; it represents truths about the universe. Never lift your finger when making the pattern; always continue the line and don't worry about where it leads you. For as the Cerinian race is made up of one common soul, so to is the mandala made up of one unbroken line. The folds and twists are merely an illusion, just as our bodies and the space between them hides the fact that we are all one."_

Namah's voice was soft and made Krystal feel at ease; as if it possessed a hypnotic quality.

" _Forget about reaching out and influencing the world around you. Instead, embrace the fact that you are merely a part if it. Everyone and everything is one; what happens to one Cerinian will happen to the other, and what you do to someone else is the same as if done to yourself. You know what it's like to be in someone else's flesh. The only thing keeping their feelings separate from yours is your mistaken notion of identity. Clothes, fur, skin, muscle, neurons; they are all just a barrier that keeps us separate. Remove that barrier and there is nothing to say you are you and someone else is another. If you truly understand and_ feel _how you are one with another, you should have no reason to hurt them or cause them pain. For every wound you give them you are really inflicting on the mauri of the entire Cerinian race. You are just as much a part of it as they are. You have no more importance than they do in the grand scheme of things; it is merely an evolutionary lie for your own preservation. It must be abandoned…"_

Once again Krystal's attention drifted down to the sparring figures below. She was worried to see Fox fighting with one of the villagers no matter the circumstances; she flinched whenever the woman landed a painful-looking blow on Fox. Yet she still found the exchange…exciting. From her vantage point way up above, it looked like a dance; just as much a form of art as the patterns the Cerinians wove into their clothing, or the arrays of flowers they grew in their gardens. The calculated motions, the timed attacks, the improvised parries and dodges; it was all beautiful.

Inexplicably she found herself drawn to Fox, though maybe it was because she secretly rooted for him. He fought with his shirt off, for once displaying his muscles when pushed to their limits, taught and flexing from exertion. After every exchange he would retreat a couple paces, breathing tiredly with his chest expanding and contracting, before diving back into their match. Before long sweat glistened on his back and shoulders, their sheen reflecting the grey, overcast light.

" _Krystal…we're done for the day."_ Namah sighed and stood from her pillow, prompting Krystal to shoot to her feet as well. _"It is obvious you are distracted by something; perhaps I will reserve us a room without such a view next time."_

The young vixen bowed her head. _"I'm sorry."_

" _Well, before our next session, please practice your meditation. Whenever you can, seek out private places where you are alone, and let your troubles go. Rest and meditate, focus on breathing, and dwell on your shared existence with every Cerinian. Trace mandalas in the ground and remember not to lift your finger-"_

" _Mother Namah?"_ Krystal interrupted. _"I'm curious; did you mean what you said earlier today about sensing a…"darkness" in me?"_

At first the Abbess wanted to scold her for interrupting, but then realized the seriousness of her question. She looked at the girl with worry. _"It is true, my daughter. Always underneath your surface thoughts, I sense the dark depths lurking deep below. I can't see for sure what they are, but I know you are hiding a painful past. From the experiences of other research subjects, I can guess at what lies beneath, and I pity you."_

" _You mean…you haven't read my mind and seen for yourself?"_

Namah shook her head. _"I have seen glimpses, but it is disrespectful and intrusive to dive deeper into someone's thoughts. The mind is your private sanctum. All of us house secret thoughts of hatred and sadness and painful truths. It is our duty to protect one another from them by locking such thoughts inside and snuffing them out. Only then can you protect those around you and become a better person."_

" _Thank you,"_ Krystal responded. _"I'll…try to practice what you taught me today."_

The elder smiled at Krystal and briefly cupped her cheek in her hand. Then she turned to lead her out of the meditation room. The vixen took one last longing look at Fox and his partner before following after her own teacher.

X

"Oof!"

With one final punch, Kaia knocked Fox flat on his back. All the wind shot from his lungs at once, and he had to gasp to regain his breath. He'd lost count of how many times she'd knocked him down that past hour, and already had multiple bruises and welts as grim reminders. Each and every time he would struggle back to his feet, but now he felt the need to lie a bit longer, staring up at the clouded sky to rest.

Kaia's wine-colored head suddenly poked itself into his vision, blocking a portion of the sky. She bent over, panting equally as hard and offering him a hand up. Fox glanced at her open paw in surprise, then accepted it. Grunting, she helped him to his feet.

Though Kaia talked to him through her mind, she still paused between breaths, taking longer to formulate her thoughts. _"Well, I'll give you one thing, rāgata. You are stubborn and persistent, even when I beat you down. But you still have much to learn if you once considered yourself a "great warrior.""_

Fox wiped the sweat from his brow. _"I have a confession. I haven't had much practice or even use for sparring; I'm much more skilled in the air."_

Kaia's eyebrows raised. _"You'll have to explain that to me sometime. But come; we're done for today. I think I've accurately gauged your current skill. When you next return our lessons will begin in earnest."_

The vixen lead Fox around to the front of her smithy, where they crowded together in front of a water bucket. There they took turns scooping the water out and drinking from a long wooden ladle. When Fox had his fill, he gathered a scoopful and upended the ladle above his head, causing rivulets to run down his hair and shoulders. The act brought him instant relief, but he couldn't wait to take a full bath in the stream later.

Apparently Kaia had the same idea. She unwound her chest wrap and removed the article, baring her sweat-covered breasts. Fox glanced away out of respect but still heard her scooping up handfuls of water and splashing them over her chest. Once finished she hopped up onto the table and leaned back, breathing heavily.

" _Well, you weren't completely helpless back there. You landed a good number of hits on me; some of them still smart."_

Fox didn't answer or look her way. Instead he watched the Cerinian villagers as they passed Kaia's shop. He initially found her lack of modesty surprising, but then again the Cerinians hadn't had an of-age male in the village before. The passing women didn't even spare the bare-chested Kaia a glance; they were all looking at him for some funny reason.

When the tod didn't respond, Kaia leaned in closer. _"What's the matter? Am I making you uncomfortable?"_

Fox went to take another drink. _"No! No, you're fine."_

She searched his face. _"You look embarrassed…is it because you don't have them?"_

At that Fox coughed and nearly spat out the water. _"No, it's…not like that."_

" _Oh,"_ Kaia thought, but sounded unconvinced. _"I'm…sorry for teasing you about it earlier. Don't be ashamed of having a flat chest; I'm sure you'll mature soon enough."_

Fox felt his cheeks and ears burst into flame at the direction their conversation was taking. _"That's not it,"_ he explained, _"It's just…you seem really open and comfortable around me. Baring yourself like that…well it's like letting me read your mind, or something. You're leaving yourself open. Vulnerable."_

The vixen shrugged. _"So? I just spent an hour fighting with you back there. If your true intent was to kill or hurt me you would have betrayed it. But you didn't. I trust you."_

Fox sighed, realizing there was no use fighting it. So he seated himself atop the table beside Kaia and passed her the ladle. Together they watched the villagers mill about while they caught their breath.

" _Hey, rāgata-"_ Kaia began.

" _Fox,"_ he corrected.

" _Fox…why are you here? Why do you want to practice fighting this much?"_

" _I just want to do something useful – besides doing slave labor for Old Man Itoro. I want to help protect the village for Krystal, and this is the only way I can do that."_

" _The only way?"_

Fox looked down. _"Well, I don't have the Curse. I don't have any of your magical powers. I don't even think I can reach out to people with my mind unless they invite me first. They tell me there's no way they can just_ give _me those powers, so I'll never be a Kaitaki. I guess I just have to make do without them."_

When Kaia brushed the silver hair from her eyes, Fox could see them staring intently at a pair of grey-cloaked warriors walking through the village. _"You know what? I wanted to be a Kaitaki too when I grew up. I used to spend hours trying to lift rocks and light fires with just my mind, but I never could. It frustrated me to no end. It even made me lose confidence in myself to the point where I thought…I wasn't worth anything."_

She paused, as if wondering if she had revealed too much to Fox.

" _But then instead of just wishing I could magically make all my problems disappear, I decided to change myself instead. I helped out around the village as much as I could. I learned from other blacksmiths how to fashion tools, and I grew stronger while doing it. Practiced fighting, too, just because I could. It's not exactly what I wanted, but…at least I can be of use somehow."_

Fox looked over at her. _"You sound disappointed you don't have the Curse."_

She sighed. _"Well, yes, I am."_

The vulpine laughed. _"I'm glad you admit it. If I'm honest, I'm a bit jealous that Krystal has it and not me. But I talked with the elders this morning. Namah said it was a horrible burden to have, and that everyone's looking for a way to get rid of it. I'd gladly take that burden from her if I could."_

Kaia snorted. _"Ever notice how the people that have it are the ones telling you you're better off without it? They're just trying to make you feel better. They want everyone to feel equal; it's how our village functions. That's why we're all considered sisters_ _–_ _besides the Mother, of course."_

Fox grunted. _"And it's why she has to cast aside people like me. I'm different._ Un _equal."_

The vixen glanced at him hesitantly, eyes darting away each time they drew near. _"For what it's worth_ _…Fox_ _…I don't believe the things they say about you. That men like you are to blame for the way the world is today. I think you have plenty of control and good will. You're determined. In fact, I_ _…I don't think you're that much different than me."_

 _"Oh_ _…thanks."_ He shifted in place. " _So_ _…_ _you think it's bullshit? All the bad stuff they say about the Curse?"_

" _No, that's real alright. But they downplay the good you can do with it. It's a sacrifice I'd happily make to protect the village. I just want to see everyone safe."_ Finally she looked him in the eye. _"Neither of us can do magic things, so we just have to make do with what we've got."_

Together they watched as the pair of Kaitaki helped lift a wagon wheel that was stuck in the mud. They didn't even have to touch it or dirty their hands; it just floated right out of the ditch on their command. In a way it was disheartening, seeing what they were up against.

Fox frowned. _"You ever think training to fight is pointless? Seems like any Cerinian we came up against could instantly kill us with a single thought."_

She nodded. _"Sometimes I do. But,"_ she smirked at him, _"it's a lot harder to think with someone like us pummeling your brains out."_


	23. Free Birds

X

Mission No. 23

Cerinia  
CSS Justice

Free Birds

X

Bill stooped over the sink in the cabin's bathroom, thoroughly washing his hands. His paws were sopping wet, the fur soaked through and matted down. He squeezed out a dollop of pink handsoap, lathering it up and spreading it across his hands till they were covered in foam. Once they were saturated, he painstakingly washed the suds back out and soaked them again. Rinse, and repeat. Again…and again. There was no such thing as being 'too clean,' he told himself. But no matter how hard he scrubbed they still felt…dirty. For an entirely different reason.

As he stared down at his paws beneath the running stream of water, they reminded him of all his shortcomings.

These were the hands that hesitated to shoot Fox when he escaped Venom.

These were the hands that failed to catch Falco's Arwing when he effortlessly flew loops around him.

These hands let Fox slip through his fingers and into the great unknown, perhaps never to be seen again.

The simple act of washing felt like cleansing himself of all his shortcomings; of making things right. It became a ritual of his in recent days. But when he judged he'd used more than his share of water, he finally turned the faucet off and dried his hands.

Next he went about his cabin making sure everything was perfect. He straightened the framed photographs on his shelves, as well as the displays of metals he'd earned and other memorabilia he'd accrued over the years. He still couldn't shake the feeling that decoupling from the gate and traveling through the portal had caused every item to shift out of place. Which was why he rearranged each and every one of them until their configuration was just right.

It was the second time he had done so that day.

Act like your officers are always watching you, he believed, and you'll always be up to standard. He could practically feel the general's paternal gaze on the back of his neck, and he took pride in the fact that if at any moment Pepper surprised him with an inspection, he would be ready for it.

Even if Pepper was now 10 light years away…

Just when he stepped back to admire his handiwork, his door buzzed. Strange, he thought, that no one's voice came over the intercom. He walked over to the door and slid it open, revealing #19 waiting on the other side. Behind her stood Dr. Makepeace. Needless to say he was a bit surprised by the two vixens' presence.

"Oh…D-Dr. Makepeace. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Makepeace nodded to the Cerinian in front of her. "Cerinian 19 intimated to me that she wanted to see you again."

Bill cleared his throat awkwardly and met 19's eyes. She smiled back at him; she couldn't understand the words of their conversation as far as he knew.

"I'm sorry, it's against regulations for a…" _Prisoner? No._ "…a research subject to visit an officer in his private quarters. Shouldn't she be safely in her…" But he trailed off yet a second time because he didn't like the word 'cell' either.

"I assure you she is quite harmless. Her cell's purpose is strictly for observation. It is important that we analyze 19's social interactions as well, so this chance presents us with quite the opportunity."

"Regardless, it is still in violation of-"

"The _general_ permitted it," Makepeace interrupted. Bill searched her expression, but her face was blank and betrayed nothing of her honesty or intent. "He has pre-approved contact between you, as detailed in my sealed orders."

"Well…if it is alright with him…" Bill stepped to the side and allowed 19 to enter his room.

"Please take good care of her. Summon me or one of my associates on the off-chance that trouble does arise – however unlikely. I will escort her back to her holding cell when she is ready to leave."

"You're not staying-?"

The scientist smiled. "But of course not. My presence would influence the outcome. Please report any of your findings at the termination of your visit."

"Yes ma'am," Bill sighed.

Makepeace took one last look at 19 before pivoting on her heel and marching off down the hall. Bill closed the door, unsure of what to make of the situation. When he turned he found #19 standing in the center of the room, curiously looking about his abode. For a moment he studied her, chewing on the fact that Pepper directly specified she was to be allowed to visit Bill in his orders to Dr. Makepeace – orders he'd given _before_ they left. Then Bill thought back to when he'd inquired about 19's ultimate fate after the mission concluded. Pepper had offered to transfer 19 into his charge if he were successful. He also remembered the general's last words to him in the orbital gate's docking bay, after he'd tossed him the keys to the Justice.

 _"She's all yours…"_

 _She…_

He shook his head. Still, maybe this was all some cruel twist of fate; that 19, the defective Cerinian, had ended up in his charge instead of 28. When he stumbled upon the Cerinians on the day of Venom's fall, he felt like he'd found Lylat's savior. After seeing firsthand the horrible state the system was in, he dedicated himself to the Cerinia project and the Venomian Containment and Reclamation Program. But from some twist of fate and dramatic irony he'd been left with a near-lobotomized version of their promised savior; an impotent, barren messiah. It felt like a joke played on him by whatever god or fate or fortune lived out there in the void, laughing at him.

Secretly, he despised her…yet, he pitied her.

Why had Pepper given her to him? As a sick reminder of his own failures? As a prize for at least keeping her safe? As a promise of future rewards to come if he finished the mission? Whatever the answer, it didn't change the fact that she stood here in front of him at this moment.

Before he spoke he remembered to activate the translator app on his wrist unit again.

"So, do you…like my room any better?"

"Mhm," she affirmed. _"It is quite nice."_ Then to Bill's chagrin she went around his dressers and shelves, examining and touching all of the items displayed there. Bill made a mental note to reorganize and clean everything once she was gone. But she seemed especially intrigued by the array of combat gear he had organized on one of the shelves. She unsheathed his tactical knife and studied it, running her finger curiously against the blade. Bill worried she might hurt herself on it.

 _"It's a lot more interesting than mine,"_ she continued, placing the knife down and moving on. _"You have a lot more…things to play with, in your cage."_

Bill shifted on his feet. "Well, it's not a cage. These are my quarters, you see."

She looked back at him, now holding one of his framed photographs from when he was a cadet in Flight Academy. _"It's not?"_ she asked. _"I'm sorry, I don't understand. What makes them different?"_

"Well, for starters, I can come and go as I please."

 _"But this is still the box they gave to you and told you to stay in, is it not? These four walls keep you in. This room is your entire world."_

"I…guess so, but I agreed to stay in here. I _want_ to stay in here."

She set the photo down carelessly. " _So, if I_ wanted _to stay in my cage, it would be called my quarters instead?"_

"Yes, I think so," Bill said, trying to follow her logic. "But you don't like your room, I take it?"

 _"No, which is why I asked to come to your cage."_

Bill felt exasperated that they had come full circle again. "I see…" Then, as she studied more of his possessions, Bill's focus alighted on the restraining collar around her neck. She really wasn't free at all, even if she were permitted to walk about the ship as she pleased. They still had her on a leash. She was still his prisoner. But the more he thought about it…maybe they both were someone else's.

Suddenly the four walls boxing them in eerily reminded Bill of 19's own cell.

As the bulldog silently brooded, the curious Cerinian wandered into his bathroom. She turned on the sink faucet and shower knob sequentially, running water from each. Her actions irritated Bill like tiny paper cuts. He couldn't help but imagining her leaving invisible, contaminated paw prints across the stainless steel surfaces she'd touched.

For a few seconds she held her hand under the shower's stream, entranced by the clear liquid that fell in crystalline rivulets and splashed off her palm. She turned the knob as hot as it would go, only slightly recoiling her hand when it reached maximum heat and steam began to rise. Then she twisted the faucets off and wiped her paw on her clothes, returning to Bill.

"Thank you," she began in accented Cornerian, _"for saving me from that monster and making me clean."_

Bill merely stared back at her in silence. So she _did_ remember…

At that moment his comm unit buzzed, and he placed a hand to his earpiece.

"Sir," Baines' voice said over the intercom, "I think we've found them."

X

When they approached the Great Fox the dreadnought made no move to engage or evade. It continued to cruise along, orbiting a thousand miles above Cerinia. All attempts to hail the vessel were met with eerie silence.

Unopposed, the Justice pulled alongside the Great Fox, matching its speed until the two ships were neck and neck. Cornerian crewmembers extended a boarding bridge across the open expanse between the two hulls, connecting both ships' passenger gates with a single, airtight passage.

Bill, Miyu, and Fay crouched halfway through the tunnel, their troops behind them. A demolition squad traced the door frame opposite them with plastic explosives, then rushed back to a safe distance. Bill gave them a hand signal, and one pressed the detonator. A bright explosion lit the passage, and the entrance gate to the Great Fox fell open with a deafening clang.

The three officers lead their men inside, but the interior was void black. The only light came from the glowing orange edges of the door they had blown in, and the white light from the boarding tunnel behind them, which cast Bill, Miyu, and Fay's long shadows into the inky blackness. Not even the ship's red emergency lights were on. The air smelled stale, probably signaling that life support and other functions had been put to rest; the ship lay in hibernation to conserve energy. In response, Bill slipped his oxygen mask on, and the others followed his lead.

"Something's off," Bill said to his wingmates and fellow officers. "I've never known Fox to go down without a fight."

"Maybe he's not here?" Fay suggested.

"Or it could be a trap," Miyu said dourly.

Bill weighed their options for a few seconds as everyone activated their helmet- or gun-mounted flashlights.

"Spread out," he ordered, "and find McCloud and Cerinian 28. Set blasters to stun; we need them alive." He turned to his wingmates. "Fay, take your unit and search the storage areas. Miyu; take the hangar. I'll take the bridge."

"Roger that," both women answered as they split off with their soldiers.

"And stay on your guard…" he added before they disappeared.

X

Fay lead her team through the underbelly of the Great Fox, where the storage rooms lay. They crept down the dark hallway, off of which split numerous closets and compartments on either side. One-by-one they searched the rooms, but only came up with munitions crates, foodstuffs, and weapons. One odd room had sticky beer stains spread across the floors, walls, and strangely enough, even the ceiling. But it had dried up several days ago, meaning no one had been in the room since. What kind of mishap had caused it?

The spaniel lead her troops into the second-to-last storage room, which was filled with cardboard boxes and steel crates that held replacement parts for the dreadnought. The maze of boxes presented the perfect place for fugitives to hide. Fay and her men checked behind each of the stacks of supplies, blasters primed and ready to fire, but their flashlight beams and thermals turned up nothing. If anyone was aboard the ship, they weren't hiding here.

A clang sounded behind them. Fay spun in time to see five or six flashlight beams all overlap on the door at once.

It had closed behind them.

Fay rushed back to the entrance, hearing the sound of whirring treads fade in the outside hall just as she arrived. She tapped at the control screen to open it, but there was no juice left in the system. The unit was dead. She grabbed onto the handhold and tried to open it manually, grunting as she pulled, but it was no use.

"Someone's locked us in," one of the soldiers said.

"Obviously," Fay huffed. "Whittle, see if you can hotwire it back open."

The pug knelt in front of the control screen, opening his toolbox and withdrawing a screwdriver. While he opened the access panel, Fay put out a call from her headset.

"Captain Grey, Lieutenant Lynx, we made contact with someone."

Bill's voice buzzed back. "Who?"

"I don't know; we were searching a storage area when something or someone shut and locked the door behind us."

"Do you want backup?" Miyu asked.

"Affirmative. Once we break out of here we should be able to trap them between our two positions."

X

"Alright, we're en route," Miyu signed off. Her search party was originally headed towards the hangar, but she waved them back down the way they had come. They hurried to cut off the culprit's exit, planning to sandwich them between their group and Fay's. But once they turned down the next hallway their flashlight beams landed on a Lylatian-sized figure at the opposite end. Before them stood one of the Great Fox's mechanized workers that milled about the ship; a ROB unit, they were called. It held in its claws a cardboard box, and emotionlessly stared them down from across the hall.

Miyu trained her blaster on the robot. "Halt! Don't move!"

"Do not fear, I surrender," the ROB unit said. It raised its hands above its head, but in doing so dropped the box with a thunderous crash. Kinetic bullets and spherical grenades spilled onto the floor, quickly scattering across the ground until they covered the entire hallway in a carpet of rolling objects.

The lynx growled and sprinted after the robot, but she stepped on some of the cartridges and lost her balance. One of her men that recklessly followed suit had his feet completely slip out from under him, and he landed on his back with a surprised yelp.

"Careful!" Miyu warned, but several of her other soldiers slipped as well. Cursing, she grabbed onto a guardrail and pulled herself into the next room, evading the sea of tiny deathtraps. She caught her breath for a moment in the doorway, then cried out when something sharp jabbed her rear like a bee sting. Grabbing the seat of her pants, she spun around and swept her flashlight beam quickly across the room's interior, but found nothing moving. It was just the Great Fox's medical bay.

As her beam moved across the room, it sent terrifying shadows crawling across the walls. Jointed robotic arms hung from the ceiling, carrying a variety of tubes and medical instruments. They looked like giant, many-armed spiders, but were otherwise still for the moment. The light of her flashlight glinted off sharp silver instruments sitting on the counters or lying on trays. Overall the room felt like a house of horrors in the dark, but nothing Miyu saw showed any sign of movement.

Then a wave of black covered her vision, and everything seemed to go fuzzy. The world felt like it was spinning, and she had to hold onto the door for support. She shook her head, trying to keep herself awake, but Miyu knew she was quickly fading.

The last thing she saw in her shaky flashlight beam was a second ROB unit, dolled up in makeup and a medical apron to look like a nurse. In one claw it held a large syringe, the tube of which was empty, but the long needle still dripped something from the tip.

Then, she slumped to the floor and dreamed.

X

Elsewhere on the dreadnought Bill lead the main force to the Great Fox's bridge. If they could bring life support and other functions back online, they would have a much easier – and pleasanter – time searching the ship.

A soldier's voice spoke through his headset. "Captain, we found a ROB unit on the way to meet Lieutenant Spaniel's team. We think it could be our culprit; the one who locked her into the storage room."

Bill frowned. "Why isn't Lieutenant Lynx the one relaying this to me?"

"Sir, she's…out cold. Fainted, in the med bay. We don't know what caused it." Bill waited in confused silence, but the soldier's voice returned. "We just spotted another ROB unit in the med bay." Then his voice became distant as the mic moved from his face. "My god that thing is freaky…"

Bill's grip shook around his headset. His men were being made fools of by an automated crew! If word of this ever got out-

But at that moment his search party rounded the corner to the bridge and came face-to-face with yet a third ROB unit. Once again it was enshrouded in darkness until their shaking beams converged upon the figure. This one wore a white chef's hat and a thin, foreign mustache taped over its voice modulator.

The robot's eyes suddenly glowed to life before seeming to glare at them. It began slowly advancing in their direction, brandishing various kitchen appliances in its appendages; everything from egg-beaters to grilling tongs, skewers, and forks.

"STOP!" barked the bulldog, but it payed him no mind. The egg-beaters began whirling on the max setting and it jabbed them behind one of his soldiers, catching the man's tail. The canine howled and tried to rip his tail free, but it only made things worse. Before he could react it had tangled his tail up in the spinning beaters, threatening to tear it clean off by the time it reached the end of the fluffy slack.

Bill had had enough. He flipped the gauge on his blaster back to lethal charge, set it to the robot's head, and fired.

The shot burned a hole straight to the other side of the head unit, exposing a sparking tunnel of circuits and wires, the ends of which were now singed black. The beaters ejected from the unit, and the entangled soldier dropped to the floor.

Chef ROB moved no more.

Gnashing his teeth, Bill set his boot on the robot's chest and tipped him over backwards. He stomped past him and entered the bridge, where a holographic screen blinked to life. It pictured a cartoonish-looking face that appeared to be a caricature of the other ROBs. Bill recognized it as the central processing unit in control of all the automated crew; the program nested in the Great Fox's mainframe.

"You are trespassing on Starfox's property," it informed him in a tinny, patched-together voice. "You will either remove yourself from this ship or face continued resistance. Have you had enough?"

Behind Bill the soldier staggered to his feet, delicately trying to untangle his tail from the pair of beaters.

The bulldog could barely contain his rage. "I am Captain Bill Grey of the CDF. I _order_ you to tell me your owner's location."

The program seemed to scrutinize him for a second. "You work for the Cornerian Defense Force. My owner is a private mercenary, therefore you have no authority over him nor jurisdiction aboard his ship."

Bill crossed his arms. "Said PMC-owner has broken his contract and is now considered Lylat's most wanted. We have a warrant for his arrest."

"None-the-less," ROB stubbornly insisted, "it is a privacy violation for an automated crew program to divest personal information about his owner. You will have to take the matter up with my manufacturer – if necessary, in court."

"I don't have time to argue with a computer," Bill spat. He waved forth his tech expert, who inserted a device into the Bridge's control panel. In a matter of minutes he had overridden ROB's security protocols, and nodded back to Bill.

The canid cracked his neck. "Now, let's try this again. Where is Fox McCloud?"

The technician had done his job, but now ROB only responded in a cold, icy voice – even for a robot.

"My owner is no longer aboard the ship. He departed five days ago."

"Did he take the girl with him?"

"Affirmative."

"Then where are they now?"

ROB went silent for a moment. "Unknown. The flight logs were erased upon his request."

Bill glanced at his technician, who manually located and examined the flight logs himself. He nodded at Bill, confirming ROB's answer.

The bulldog sighed in exasperation, rubbing the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. His anger abated to disappointment and self-loathing. If that was the case, all of this had been for nothing.

"I told you so," a woman's voice said from behind him.

Bill turned to see Dr. Makepeace standing in the bridge's doorway. The vixen marched past his men and stopped beside him. She splayed her hands on the control panel and looked out the window at the violet blue planet looming below.

"If McCloud and #28 were aboard this ship, 19 would have sensed them. Our targets have flown the coop."

The canine's fist clenched, but he holstered his steaming blaster. "It's far from a total loss. We have his dreadnought, the Great Fox, impounded. Fox no longer presents any credible threat to us without his prized ship."

"Believe me, Captain, this battleship was the least of our worries."

Bill decided to ignore her vague riddles. "Well, what would you have me do?"

Marjorie's eyes kept scanning the brilliant horizon outside the bridge's window. "19 is our only lead on Fox. We brought along Space Dynamics' geographical scans of the planet which we can use to determine their most likely hiding places; mountains, forests, cities – everything. Then we'll take the Justice down to low planetary orbit and comb each one. My Cerinian charge should be able to pick out 28's thought patterns from all the other Cerinians. A lower orbit will allow us to utilize the Justice's cloaking and camouflage tech to stay hidden to potential enemies."

The canine pursed his lips. "And in the meantime? That could take a while."

Finally she turned to face him. "Have your technician scrub through all the Great Fox's logs. Find where the ship was in orbit when he left. Check if he scanned any of the planet's surface for a suitable landing. See if you can track the location of his Arwing. The flight logs and other data might be erased, but a deep dive could expose much more."

Bill nodded curtly, then glanced at the techy to make sure he got the message.

"There's one more possible lead we could have," Makepeace continued. "When Dr. Andross was apprehended he was on his way back from Cerinia. If the shuttle he used somehow survived the war, we could use it to find where he's been."

The soldier raised an eyebrow. "And you think wherever he visited, Fox could be headed there as well? Why?"

"Just an educated guess. I'll put in a request for Space Dynamics to look into the whereabouts of that shuttle the next time the gate opens."

Dr. Makepeace went back to looking out the window, and Bill followed her gaze to the planet below. The woman's voice carried an air of defiant confidence.

"McCloud has nowhere else to run. He can't return to Lylat, and he can't leave Cerinia's surface without alerting us to his presence. It may take days or even weeks, but no matter where he hides, we will find him, _and_ #28."

X

Falco awoke and yawned, stretching his beak wide open. After smacking it a bit he winced at the bright grey light raining in through the skylight above him. Quickly he sat upright so he wouldn't have to stare directly up through the ceiling. He pushed the blankets off and scooted to the edge of his makeshift bed. Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he felt around for the floor with his talons, but found nothing. Strange, he didn't remember his bed being this tall. Deciding to go for it, he yawned one last time before slipping off.

Immediately his yawn turned into an unseemly screech when he met open air. At the last second he grabbed the inside of the door frame, barely keeping himself from falling the rest of the way to the concrete floor below. He had completely forgotten! He still bunked in one of the broken cars in Katt's repair shop, which hung suspended 12 feet in the air. His blurry eyes finally cleared, and he saw the messy garage floor staring back up at him from below.

 _This can't go on,_ he thought.

As had become his routine for the past couple days, Falco instead exited the door on the other side of the car, dropping down onto the roof of the van below before hopping off of that. He hadn't dressed yet, but still felt comfortable enough to walk around. Maybe he'd see how far he could press Katt today until she agreed to give him better accommodations. He'd have to stop freeloading sometime, though. And if his plans worked out, that day would come sooner rather than later.

Feeling hungry, Falco walked to the back of the garage where a door lead into the rest of Katt's personal quarters. He found it unlocked and showed himself right in. On the other side was the feline's kitchen, which was just as disorderly and stained as the garage. A can's worth of instant eggs sizzled on the humble skillet, filling the air with a strong odor that made Falco's stomach growl. Katt was nowhere to be found, so he plopped down on a seat at the kitchen table like he owned the place.

A few moments later the pink-furred mechanic walked into the room, apparently only dressed in an over-sized T-shirt that reached to her hips. She was drying her hair with a towel, which, in combination with the wet sheen on her pink fur, lead him to believe she had just finished taking a shower. She froze when she saw Falco, still clutching the towel to her hair.

"Mornin'," he offered while grinning.

"Falco!" she returned nervously. The feline tossed the towel aside, brushing her hair into place before unconsciously stretching her T-shirt down to cover more of herself. "You're…up early this morning."

"Yeah, and it was almost my last morning, too. Nearly killed myself getting out of bed again – that is, if you could even call it a bed."

At this Katt hurried to the stove to tend to the eggs, but Falco knew it was just to turn her back on him so he couldn't see her evil grin. Having him bunk in the suspended car had been one of her ways of getting back at him.

"There enough for me?" he added.

The feline shrugged. "Guess so." She reached for the can and pried the lid back open, dumping another completely appetizing glob of eggs into the skillet. Falco in the meantime drummed his fingers on the table, observing her from behind as she cooked. He watched her tail swish back and forth absently while she worked, taking advantage of the opportunity to ogle her legs. It had been a long time since they'd been together, and he sorely missed the fiery pink feline. But when she turned around with a glass of orange juice he quickly looked up and smiled. She approached the table and set the glass down, sliding it over to him. Then she judgmentally peeked over the edge of the table at him, frowning when she saw his boxers.

She rolled her eyes and complained, "Can't you put on something more? That's unbecoming of a guest."

He shrugged, raising the orange juice to his beak. "It's also unbecoming of a host to wear just a T-shirt in the company of said guest."

Once again Katt grabbed the hem of the shirt and pulled it down. "I am _not_!"

"So? Prove it. What do you have to be afraid of?" He took a swig of the juice, watching her squirm through the warped bottom of the glass.

"The eggs will burn Falco," she warned him. "I don't have time for this." But her eyes betrayed their own fixation on his torso, and the avian noticed her swallow.

At that moment someone gently knocked on the door, saving the cornered feline. She quickly shut the eggs off and smiled at Falco triumphantly as she strutted past, batting his face with her tail for good measure. Falco let out a disappointed huff and turned to see who was outside.

Katt paused in front of the door and twisted the blinds open, revealing Pukes' green vulpine face.

"Oh, Pukes!" the feline exclaimed. "Uh…what brings you here?"

"Falco asked me to come," she answered, her voice muffled through the door. While she explained a bit more, Katt glanced behind herself to make sure the bird was watching. While trying to act unaware, she lifted her tail in back, raising the hem of her shirt up her flanks with it. Falco sat up in his chair attentively, his pulse spiking upon finally receiving his coveted eyeful.

"Well, come on in," Katt said, letting her shirt fall back down and opening the door. "Sorry I wasn't expecting you so early, or I would've put something else on."

Pukes stepped into the kitchen, her haggard face looking as tired as ever. "Oh it's fine, don't worry about it. It's your home after all." Then she caught sight of Falco, who was equally in a state of undress. She raised an eyebrow over her sleepy, half-closed lids, and the two exchanged silent glances for a moment.

"Falco."

"Pukes."

After their initial greeting the silence dragged on longer. In the background Katt began scooping the eggs out onto a pair of plates.

Falco coughed into his fist before standing up. "I'm uh, gonna go get dressed."

The vixen nodded, sleep tempting her eyes shut. "That's a good idea. You should put something on before the others arrive."

A spatula clattered onto the electric stove. "'Others!?'" Katt repeated.

Pukes flinched, now seeming fully awake. "Y-yeah, d-didn't Falco tell you?"

The pink-furred cat stormed across the kitchen, sizzling-hot skillet still in hand. She shoved it accusingly in Falco's face, causing the avian to nearly fall backwards over his chair in an effort to put as much distance between himself and the skillet as possible. "Falco you _didn't!"_ she shouted.

"I _did,"_ he firmly returned. He tried to push the skillet away from his face with a finger, but immediately withdrew it and shook his wing soothingly.

"How many of them did you invite?" she demanded.

" _All."_

The door opened, admitting Katt's younger brother, Kitt. The blue-furred feline strolled into the kitchen with his arms crossed behind his head. "Hey Falco, hey Pukes, hey sis! What'd I miss?" But he halted when he noticed their various states of undress and current standoff.

Katt dropped the skillet dangerously on the table and grabbed the towel to wrap around her legs. With her other hand she pointed at the door. "OUT!" she shouted at Kitt.

Her younger brother jumped and scurried back into the garage, rightfully fearing for his life. Katt meanwhile seized the skillet again and lifted it off the table before it could burn a series of rings into the plastic. In the process her towel came loose and she had to grab it when it fell.

"Falco, I warned you against this!"

"And I made very clear to you that I was going ahead with it!"

Pukes gestured to the door. "I'm gonna go uh…greet the others while you all work this out." While Falco and Katt continued fighting, she pressed herself close to the wall and slipped out.

"You know this is dangerous!" Katt said while pointing to him. "You know a stunt like this will get Grimmer and the other gangs on our tails again!"

Falco plopped back down in his seat, spreading his wings out. "But isn't this what you _wanted?_ Isn't this what you were mad at me for in the first place; my abandoning the gang? Now I'm going to fix it!"

The feline sat on the table in front of him, resting her feet on his chair and taking his hand. "Falco, I'm over that! It's forgotten. All I care about is our safety. I don't want to see all of _this_ go up in flames after I've worked so hard to lie low and make an honest living."

"And you really think we'll be safe with Grimmer around, huh?"

"Yes! If we continue to keep our heads down and don't challenge him."

At this Falco shot to his feet and stormed away. He opened the kitchen door and paused on the threshold, looking back over his shoulder.

"If you think Falco Lombardi is the type to spend his whole life cowering in the grime, you're wrong." Then he sighed and slicked his headfeathers back, regaining his composure. When he spoke next his voice was quieter, without its sharp edge. "Something's coming, Katt. It's bigger than you or me or the Free Birds or Grimmer. It may even be as big as the Lylat Wars. Now I don't know what it is, but I know for damn sure I won't be wallowing in the muck scrapping for machine parts when it hits. Starfox was an easy way out for me; an easy way to make my mark on history. But now I'll have to make a change on my own, without them. And it all starts here. It's up to you if you want to be a part of it or not."

And with that he stormed out into the garage in his polka-dot boxers.

X

Within the next half hour, the other three members of the Free Birds arrived. It turned out Pukes had accidentally set her alarm one hour earlier, slept through it, and arrived 30 minutes early anyway. Falco and Katt got dressed and ate their meals separately. Part of the avian worried Katt wouldn't even show up to the meeting – even though it was taking place in her own garage. She had previously made it perfectly clear she opposed the whole thing.

Falco made his way to Katt's reception area, which sat in the back of the garage on the far left. Really it was just an open space cleared in the garage to receive customers. A ragged green-and-white rug covered the otherwise bare concrete, upon which sat a mix of banged-up furniture, supply crates, and orphaned car seats.

The avian came to a stop before the setup, surveying everyone who had shown up with a sense of pride. Beside Pukes and Kitt, the rest of the members had appeared as well. Sharing the beaten up couch were Mouser and Bowser, the team's demolition and heavy weapons experts respectively. Mouser was a scraggly-looking rat that appeared to have seen more than his fair share of explosive mishaps. The hair on the top of his head was shriveled and singed black, as if it was a forest destroyed in a carpet bombing. His grey-furred face was covered in black soot except for a clean patch around his eyes where his red goggles normally rested. He also wore a matching bright red shirt and oversized black leather jacket that made the rat look bigger than he really was.

Sharing the backseat but taking up much more of it was Bowser; a beast of a crocodile who could grind nearly anyone that crossed him to a pulp. He needed muscles of that caliber to handle the weapons he sold (and on very special occasions operated). Of course a street gang wasn't the place for such weapons, and he mostly traded them on the black market, but his toys were still fun to have around and sometimes proved useful as a deterrence. Long brown dreadlocks hung like willow leaves from beneath his cap and goggles, and a weathered aviator jacket made his shoulders look even bulkier. He and Mouser were best friends, with the croc often looking out for the little guy during operations.

Their third and latest member was Shani; the Titanian wild dog sitting beside them on a stuffing-leaking chair. Her fur was a mix of black, brown, and white patches, and half her head was shaved, leaving only one side covered in a mop of spiky orange hair. She always looked like she'd come from a war zone in some far-away desert planet, dressed lightly in a crop top with a bare midriff, as well as combat boots, a gun belt, and a bandolier that bristled with bullets. A silver nose ring completed her fierce look – a look she immediately betrayed while guffawing and slamming her fist on the armrest at the stories Mouser and Bowser told.

It brought a smile to Falco's face to see them all together again. It sent him back to two and a half years earlier when everything was going well for their little band of marauders. But he was happiest when he noticed Katt sitting with them, laughing along and sharing the moment with everyone. So she had come after all.

When the others noticed his presence, they shot to their feet.

"Falco!" Bowser bellowed, "I can't believe my eyes!" The croc lumbered over to him and gripped him in a tight hug, which the avian returned warmly.

He stepped aside to reveal Mouser, who was maybe half his height. The rat shook Falco's hand emphatically. When he spoke it sounded like his voice was filtered through a carbon-coated diaphragm and then a cheese grater. "So da war hero came back, huh? Got tired of makin' speeches and wearin' fancy laurels?"

"You know I've never delivered a speech in my life, Mouser."

The rat shrugged. "Eh, I wouldn't know. I ain't got a holovision."

Shani clapped him heartily on the back, nearly knocking the wind from him. "The crowds would only get a load of hot-air anyway." Then she smiled and hugged him. "I thought you were gone forever, Falco. Then when I heard your name on a broadcast about Starfox, and that you were leading the Cornerian offensive, I couldn't believe my ears."

"Is right!" Bowser agreed while crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Our very own Falco Lombardi, saving the universe. Does not get much crazier than that."

At first Falco laughed along with them, but he couldn't overcome the strong feeling of guilt he had. It was time to address the elephant in the room. Ruffling up the back of his head feathers, he began, "Say guys, I wanted to apologize for ditching you all. It wasn't my proudest of moments – in fact it was probably the worst thing I've done in my life. Now I'm not looking for your forgiveness or anything, and I'm not asking you to forget. I just want you to hear me out."

As he spoke the former members of the Free Birds sat back down, their expressions turning serious. Bowser scratched his chin, thinking over Falco's words. "Look, Falco, I am understanding your choice was tough. Grimmer got best of us. He smashed you and your bike like puny fleas. Our future as gang was…up in air. We had fractures. Disagreements. You thought you failed us, so…you left. As I said, was no easy choice."

Falco smirked at the crocodile. "Thanks, but that doesn't excuse what I did. Instead of sticking with the team I jumped ship and ran. No leader should do that. I should've stuck it out with you all no matter what happened. I just wanted to say…I'm sorry."

Shani took on a devilish grin, revealing a missing tooth. "You know with you being back I thought this day couldn't _possibly_ get any more bizarre. But now the great Falco Lombardi is _apologizing_ for the first time in his life? Who are you and what have you done with Falco!?"

"You on da level, Falco?" Mouser asked.

"Honest," the avian said with a straight face. "After being with Star Fox for two years, and then watching from the sidelines as my new team fell apart because of events out of my control, I know how you guys must've felt. I let you all down as a leader, and I failed you as a friend. So I wanted to come back and make things right."

Bowser, Mouser, and Shani all glanced at each other. Pukes and the two felines however knew exactly what he was up to.

"Uh, just what exactly you got in mind?" Mouser asked.

Falco made eye contact with each of them, drawing out the pause for dramatic effect.

"I want to reform the Free Birds."

For a moment he was met with breathless silence. Then he received near-unanimous applause, with Mouser cheering, Bowser thumping his chest, and Shani raising her fist in the air. "Now you're talking!" she said. Even Kitt cheered, though he knew the announcement was coming beforehand. Noticeably, Katt was the only one who stayed quiet.

"So, how many of you can return?" Falco asked. "I know you all got jobs since I've been gone, and I understand if you don't want to risk them for this."

Bowser shrugged. "Who says we must give up jobs?" He threw a friendly arm around Mouser. "You need someone with black market connections. Now might have use for weapons we sell."

Shani stared at Falco blankly when he turned to her. "What? You think I'd rather be a wharf guard than tearing up the streets with you all? _Lame."_

"You can count me in too, Falco!" Kitt exclaimed.

Pukes nodded as well, giving her best sleepy smile. "As long as you bring me supplies, I'll cook for you. But you'll still never get me on one of those motorized contraptions of doom."

"Even if it's a puke-green bike?"

"Even if it's a pretty-green bike," she reaffirmed.

"Don't worry Pukes," Shani teased her. "One day I'll get your tail on a pair of wheels, and together we'll be the terror of the north end!" As intended the vixen shuddered at the thought.

Now every eye was on Katt, who sat dejectedly on a crate pulled away from the rest. She shifted awkwardly in place when she realized they were all looking at her. Then slowly as she looked each one of them in the eye, her stern expression melted. She sighed, giving in.

"Alright Falco. I'm in."

Once again the corner of the garage erupted in cheers and whoops.

"But one thing," Falco interjected while holding up a feather. "I've clearly failed as a leader, so I wanted to put the post up to a vote. I want to leave it open to the rest of you to decide a leader."

"Did Starfox make you also stupid?" Bowser admonished him. "There is only one who can lead Free Birds."

Shani snorted and jokingly raised Kitt's paw into the air. "Falco's right! I nominate Kitt to lead the Free Birds!" But the young feline hastily tore his fist away and hunkered down.

"Sorry Boss," Mouser said, "but you're stuck with the job."

Falco felt a paw on his shoulder, and he looked back to see Katt nod at him supportively, grinning. The gesture was all he needed.

"Well…thanks guys." He unconsciously wiped at his eyes when he felt them getting wet. "I-I don't know what to say. Thanks for having me back!"

Mouser's voice was next to cut through all the well-wishing and congratulations. "Hey uh, Falco Boss, I don't mean to be a downer, but while you've been prancin' about da universe Grimmer and his crew have been busy. Without us to check 'em, District 13's north side is completely in their control; and they have da support of da Black Dragonfish. If we went up against them now, they'd trounce us!"

Falco nodded, rubbing his beak thoughtfully. "You're right. Which is why we have to lie low for as long as we can. There's to be no riding in the open or daylight – and definitely not in large groups. Grimmer knows I'm back, so his goons will be keeping an eye on all of us. Best not to meet up in our full numbers too often."

"Like we're doing now?" Kitt squeaked.

"Like now, smartass!"

"Then how are we ever gonna reclaim our turf?" Mouser asked.

"Because we have something that Grimmer doesn't have," Falco answered. " _Product._ "

The avian nodded to Pukes, who reached beneath her seat and pulled out a single tube of pale purple liquid. She set it upright on the table, allowing Kitt, Shani, Bowser, and Mouser to all get a good look at it.

"Hey, Falco," Shani exclaimed, eyes wide as she studied the vial, "you got some rare-looking stuff on your hands. But…what is it?"

"Corruption," Falco proudly stated. "At least, that's what we're gonna call it. The users will be known as the Adept."

The others looked back at Pukes while Shani asked, " _You_ made this?"

She nodded. "This is just a sample of my homebrew. Falco has 15 liters of crystal lysergic acid already, but I managed to analyze and synthesize it myself. Once our initial supply runs out, we can indefinitely create more."

"By selling this," Falco continued, "we can reestablish our hold over much of the north end. It's like nothing else you'll find on the streets or in the underground. The money we make from running it will be put towards our own resources; weapons, machine parts to fix Bruiser, bribes for the local Bureau, and a new bike for myself."

Kitt's brow raised, a glimmer in his eye. "You're getting a new bike, Falco?"

He patted the feline on the back. "What? You don't think I'd let you all face Grimmer on the streets alone, do ya?"

"But Falco," Katt said from behind him, "if we're going up against Grimmer, we have to go all in. There is no half way. Once we make our intentions known it'll be an all-out war on the north end."

"Right. We _are_ going all in. And when the time comes _we'll_ be the ones to make the first move."

"Alright," Shani said, "sounds like you have a plan this time." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "What do you need us to do?"

Falco and the others likewise leaned in, huddling over the table. The avian glanced at each of them in turn as he spoke.

"Like I said, Grimmer will be watching us – even the Black Dragonfish if they've chosen to support them. The most important thing to do is lie low and keep contact to a minimum. Mouser, Bowser; you two can sell the stuff in the Underground while running your weapons business as a front."

Mouser cackled and slapped his knee. "Now there's a first for ya; using gunrunnin' as a cover for somethin' _else_."

Falco continued. "I'll sell some stuff too, under the guise that I'm just visiting old friends. Shani; you can rep us down at the docks. Kitt, since you make deliveries from the wharf you can easily smuggle messages for us or even product. If we get enough people hooked, they can spread the word and widen our reach. Drivers will stop by Katt's garage under different pretenses to make even larger shipments. At night when we're off work, we'll each take shifts buying ingredients and gathering shrooms."

Bowser went to clean his ear. "Sorry Falco, I don't think I am hearing you correctly. Did you say, "shrooms?""

It was Pukes' turn to speak. " _Psilocybe crystallinus;_ the new fungus used to clean toxins and plastics from the seaside and sewers. It's the central ingredient in Corruption."

Mouser's nose twitched skeptically. "But what's ta stop any dumb mutt wadin' around in da muck from tryin' some and trippin' out?"

" _Psilocybe crystallinus_ is deployed in only the filthiest of places. You'd be pretty desperate if you'd scrounge around in sewer muck or Zoness's tide pools for mushrooms. They must be properly cleaned, and the active chemicals must be coaxed out with the right ingredients."

Shani nodded in agreement. "You know, this could finally be our ticket up in the world. And then once we get your bike, Bruiser, and enough weapons and influence, we'll take back to the streets, right?"

Falco smirked. "Oh believe me, I ain't staying under a rock for the rest of my life. This bird was born to fly." He ground a fist into his palm while staring out over the garage as if he could see through the walls. "And I've got some getting even to do with a slimy iguana…"

Kitt jumped up excitedly, pumping his fists. "I can't believe it. Falco's back, the gang's together again, and we're about to retake the north end for ourselves!" He whipped out his PDU and opened the camera app. "Hey guys, how about a picture for old time's sake? Before we have to split up again?"

Falco and the others shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

They all gathered around Kitt, who was only second to Mouser in terms of shortness. He held the PDU at arm's length, trying to fit every one of them in frame. Falco stood at the center, arms crossed and looking smug, while Katt smiled sheepishly with an arm around his waist. Mouser pulled his mouth wide open, exposing his misshapen teeth to complete his crazed expression. Bowser towered behind him, hunching his shoulders to fit in frame and wearing a scowl – the closest the croc could manage to a smile. Pukes nervously brushed off her lab coat and tried to fix her wild, bed-mussed hair, while at the last second Shani lifted her shirt to flash the camera.

Then the PDU's flash went off, forever memorializing the Free Birds' reformation and the initiation of the second phase of the war for District 13's north end.


	24. Pentagaze

X

Mission No. 24

Cerinia  
Altaira Valley

Pentagaze

X

 _Three Weeks Later…_

Krystal skipped along the forest path, carrying a yoke over her shoulders. She made the most of her trip down to the stream, for on her way back the load would be much more burdensome. As she walked the hollow, dried bunches of gourds hanging from either end of the yoke swung and clunked together like a windchime. The weathered dirt trail passed swiftly beneath her feet, and overhead the amethyst ceiling of leaves and blossoms drifted by as well.

All through the valley there was a growing buzz of excitement, for tomorrow was the day of the festival. The whole village bustled with Cerinians making preparations for the events. They bought and cooked food and treats, pitched silken pavilions, and decorated the eaves of buildings with chains of flowers, brightly-colored fabrics, and reed lanterns.

Krystal had never seen a festival before, but if the collective anticipation of the rest of the villagers was any sign, it was probably a day worth remembering. Māra tried to explain it to her when questioned, drawing simple figures in the dirt with a stick. Their planet moved in circles about the sun, with a full rotation called a year. Whenever the planet reached the same point on the circle where an event had happened the cycle before, the Cerinians would remember that event. It was then that Māra explained that birthdays were one type of commemorated event, and that she had been around the sun a total of 21 times. But Krystal remembered the sad look on her attendant's face when she couldn't tell her when her own birthday was, nor how many times she'd been around the sun.

Out of all their numerous birthdays and yearly events, this coming festival was their favorite. It commemorated when, 8 long circles ago, Mother Namah and the other elders lead the sisters out of the wasteland and into the safety of Altaira Valley. They remembered that day through celebration and fun festivities, and prayed that the village would complete many more circles to come.

This was the electric charge of excitement that put a spring in the vixen's step and made her yoke seem even lighter than it really was. Whatever happened the next day she was sure to enjoy it, and she felt eager to share the experience with the rest of her newfound sisters.

Eventually she came upon the stream, which split the valley in two near the forest edge. On the other side of the rushing water the trees extend a short ways before stopping at the edge of a field, beyond which were rolling plains, hills, and farmlands nestled between the rest of the mountains where the Cerinians grew their crops. The stream essentially separated the village from the open countryside, representing the farthest from her sisters Krystal had ever traveled. She preferred the comfort of the trees and houses, still rather afraid of the wide open spaces and the sea of blue sky or mist thousands of feet up. She could never shake the feeling that one day she might fall up into the vast expanse and never be able to come back down.

Yet, at the same time, that was where Fox lived; beneath the empty ceiling where she dared not tread any more than she had to.

Krystal paused on the bank and set her yoke down, taking a moment to hike up the hem of her white work robe around her knees. Then she waded into the deepest portion of the stream, lowering the gourds to fill them.

By now she had been training as a Kaitaki for three weeks. She had no idea that disciplining the mind would have such a strenuous physical routine. Fetching water and carrying it back to the village was a regular task she faced, among other chores that involved helping the village. Mother Namah had been putting her through a program of labor, stress-relieving postures and stretches, meditation, and education.

When the bundles of dried gourds were nearly filled, Krystal heard a loud splash reach her ears. Becoming alert, she looked up from the stream and turned her head in the direction of the noise. She concentrated, separating the sounds of the breeze moving through the leaves, the gurgling water at her feet, and a waterfall that must've been nearby. Her patience was rewarded, as the sound was followed by subsequent smaller splashes.

Curious, she emerged on the opposite side of the bank and carefully set the yoke of gourds down so as not to make a sound. Whatever it was hid further upstream, but the creek disappeared around a bend. Steeling her resolve, she crept up the bank to investigate.

There on the other side of the incline was a waterfall which crashed into a large pool. Foam and bubbles clouded at the base of the fall, and ripples warped the reflection of the sky and treetops near the edges. The pool was deep enough to swim in and looked quite inviting.

And apparently, someone else felt the same way.

When she saw him, she let out a quiet "Eep!" and hid herself behind a tree. Timidly she peeked out again and saw that he hadn't noticed; most likely due to the roaring of the fall.

There, in the deepest portion of the pool, swam the young todd. She watched with rapt attention as he broke the surface and gasped for air. The vulpine next climbed out of the deep end and stood beneath the gentle fall, letting the water crash down on his head and shoulders. Rays of speckled light descended from the treetops, lighting the fox's fur so that it burned like golden fire. It was such a beautiful, warm coat, she thought, and such a contrast to the cool pelts of her fellow sisters. At the moment it was all he was dressed in, for his silk tunic, shendyt, and undergarments were left hanging on a branch by the side of the pool.

From behind the tree she continued to watch him bathe; his back turned to her as he brushed his white mop of hair and matted down his fur in the natural shower. Like her, Fox had been training, but his regiment was much more physical. Every day he spent a few hours with the wine-colored vixen – Kaia, she believed her name was. They would exercise and practice sparing together, and one of Krystal's favorite pastimes was watching the two from a distance. She snuck glimpses at Fox whenever he removed his tunic on a hot day, and grew worried when the dark-furred vixen similarly undressed around him. Why did Fox object to being unclothed around Krystal, but not her? Secretly she wished she was the one training beside Fox, and not that stranger. Was it because Krystal was weak and didn't know how to fight? Oh, why wouldn't Namah train her!?

Regardless, Fox's work and perseverance paid off, and Krystal marveled at the result. As she had heard him describe it, Fox was, "getting back into shape." Was he always like this? Everywhere it seemed his muscles were more pronounced, and he tired less from physical activities. In a way Fox's body reminded her of the stones lining the streets, or even the statues her sisters carved from rock. Looking at him now, she remembered all the times he had held her in those arms. She longed for the feeling of warmth and protection—a feeling she'd missed ever since they were separated. How heightened would those feelings be now that he was stronger? What would it feel like to be held in those arms this instant?

From behind Fox's tail flicked in the water, exposing his funny-looking flanks for a moment and making Krystal giggle. Did _she_ really look like that from behind? His poor tail was no longer full and fluffy, but soaked and drooping from the water that weighed it down.

Then her laugh caught in her throat as Fox turned to wash his back, exposing his front to her. She crouched behind her tree, worried he might have heard or spotted her. But once again her fears proved baseless, as he continued blissfully washing without a care in the world. Her spying was even more dangerous now, as there was a chance he might look up and notice her. But try as she might, she couldn't look away. It was the same curiosity she felt when looking into Fox's deepest secrets. There was an excitement attached to it, and an intimacy in being invited into the places only he knew.

Sheepishly she stared at the vulnerable flesh between his legs, surprised when her breath caught in her chest and her pulse began to race. Her heart beat faster and faster in her ears, pulsing so loud it drowned out the waterfall. This was what Fox guarded so closely to himself; his weakness. It represented a mystery she didn't understand. Yet it was enough to drive home that he and she were different on so many levels.

Suddenly she felt a warmth growing inside of her; an unbidden ache between her legs. She reached a hand down to search beneath the folds of her robes and was shocked when her touch stoked the fire that burned there, causing the flame to spread. If only she could wade out into the water to be with him…

Then a wave of anxiousness and shame swept over the vixen. This wasn't right, she thought; she wasn't supposed to see him like this. He'd always avoided letting her see him unclothed, and likewise objected to seeing her in the same state. What would he do now if he saw her watching him? Would he be angry? Upset? Or just embarrassed in the usual way, which she thought was so cute!

But it was more than just Fox's reaction she feared. Namah and the others had strictly spoken against it, even if they struggled to explain why to her. They warned against people like Fox; especially how dangerous they could be. She was never to trust herself around him when either of them were unclothed and vulnerable, for there was no telling what he would do. If he saw her in a similar state, he might end up hurting her in the same way she could lose control of her powers if not properly trained.

Dejectedly, Krystal snuck back down the stream bank and took hold of the water yoke. She sat down on the moss, wrapping her arms around her knees and struggling with the questions that swirled in her head. This was wrong. These feelings she had…all wrong. Dangerous. She wasn't ever supposed to be alone with Fox; this meeting was nothing but a chance coincidence. A test, even. But…could she stay true to her promise?

X

Fox whistled pleasantly to himself as he bathed beneath the fall. He found that being deprived of both audio players and radio caused him to feel like humming and whistling much more often to fill the silence. Maybe now he'd be able to get certain over-played songs out of his head.

In just a few moments he had washed off the sweat that beaded on his fur. During the morning he'd worked out and practiced sparring with Kaia, then for the rest of the day he slaved away for Itoro, completing menial tasks around his house that had been piling up since he grew too old to do them himself. Now that someone capable lived with him, it was like a cork in a dam had come loose, and Fox found himself confronted with a backlog of work to do.

The shower left him feeling refreshed after a long day. The water wasn't hot and relaxing, but it sure beat coming home from sitting on his butt in a cockpit all day and showering in his cramped quarters. There was something exciting about bathing in the wild, as if reconnecting with a primal ancestor from a millennia ago. That and the fact that there was a village almost entirely composed of women not too far off…

Fox climbed back onto the shore and shivered in the cold air. He dried off with a towel he brought before putting on his undergarment and shendyt and carrying his tunic over his shoulder. Feeling rejuvenated, he marched over the bank with a spring in his step. The path back to Itoro's house wasn't too far away.

But when he crested the bank he came upon a Cerinian seated on the opposite side; she faced downstream and away from him, so he couldn't see her face.

"Uh, oha?" He used the Cerinian word for hello.

The vixen startled and spun around when she heard him, revealing herself to be Krystal. A horrified expression covered her face; she stumbled backwards and tripped over her water yoke, falling tail-first into the stream. She yipped in surprise and sent up a large splash when she landed.

Fox dropped his shirt and tunic on the shore, then raced into the creek after her. He found the struggling vixen's hand and helped her up. "I-I'm so sorry!" he hurried to say. "I didn't mean to frighten you! I didn't know you were there-"

When he lifted her from the water, they both stumbled and Krystal ended up falling against him. She clung to him for support, and Fox instinctively put his arms around her to keep her up. In that same moment their breaths caught and they fell silent, the only sound being the babbling stream and the water dripping from the vixen. In the meantime Fox felt the girl's heart beating through her soaked clothes against his own chest. There was no way a speed like that could be healthy…

Then Krystal tore herself away, putting some distance between herself and Fox. She made for a pitiful sight; her hair matted down and her translucent robes soaked through and tightly plastered to her fur. Fox had to avert his gaze from her chest to keep from staring.

He reached back and separated the towel from his shendyt, offering it to Krystal, but the vixen shrank back. She breathed heavily after the mishap, water dripping from her tufts of hair as she stared guiltily up at Fox—yet she avoided his gaze whenever he looked her in the eye.

"W-what's the matter?" he stuttered. God why did he always turn into Slippy around her…

"We're not supposed to be alone together," she said with a trembling voice.

"It's fine," he assured, "no one's going to see us if we say hi for a few minutes."

"But we might get caught!"

Fox sighed. "Krystal, don't worry. It's not like they have eyes everywhere. You can relax once in a while – especially out here, with me."

She looked down at their reflections in the water. "Well, if you say so."

"Besides," he laughed, "what are they going to do if they find us? Punish you?"

She looked back up at him. "It's not me that I'm worried about."

Fox fell silent; he saw what she meant. Perhaps he would be disciplined for meeting with her. Though he considered the worst the elders would do was keep each of them under constant guard, it would still be unbearable if they could never sneak away to see each other like this again.

He decided to change the subject, joking, "I see someone finally convinced you to wear clothes."

Krystal looked down at her soaked work outfit. "Yes. I think I understand why people observe such a custom. I…feel embarrassed if everyone else wears something, yet I do not; especially people who look like me. And…I think I understand what you said to me when you first tried to explain it. I know the differences between men and women now."

Fox gulped. "Uh, you…do?"

"Mhm." Krystal shrunk back almost imperceptibly, wringing her hands together. "They say people like you are more dangerous. That you want things from me, and I should stay away from you."

Well, that was somehow a worse answer than he expected. Fox's brow furrowed when he realized Namah and the other elders had been filling Krystal's head with unfounded fears. But more than mere anger, he also felt disappointment for her. When they lived together aboard the Great Fox it was frustrating trying to teach Krystal Lylatian cultural norms. But at the same time, he admired how she took nothing for granted, questioning and re-evaluating everything that came her way. Only…now she had that spirit broken. She was finally giving in and conforming like everyone else.

"And…do you believe what they say? About me, I mean."

For the first time she looked up into his eyes, but didn't know how to answer.

When the silence dragged on, Fox scratched the back of his head. "Say, I uh…wanted to thank you for everything you've done to help me.. Thanks for bringing me food when I was hungry, and thanks for…being with me, in the Garden of Tears. Seems like whenever I needed you most, you were always there for me."

"I could say the same about you; whenever I needed someone the most, you were right there." Krystal finally smiled but looked away. "That day in the garden, I needed to grieve, too. She was the only person who ever showed me love. Well, until I met you…"

Fox glanced away as well, feeling slightly embarrassed. Then he caught the yoke of gourds before it floated too far downstream and filled it up for her. He lifted it back up, dripping water. "Here, let me help you with this."

Krystal bowed her head and let him place the stick over her shoulders. Then he helped her paws find the ropes above the gourds, but when their hands touched a shock seemed to jump between them. Unbidden, their minds brushed up against one another, and Fox felt how fast Krystal's heart still palpitated, even after all this time. For a moment they looked up at one another, speechless.

Then the vixen broke off the connection as abruptly as it had started. She cast her gaze aside, spun, and jumped through the water. As fast as she could, she climbed onto the opposite bank and raced back towards the Cerinian village, though Fox noticed her looking over her shoulder worriedly as water sloshed haphazardly from the gourds.

Fox wanted to call after her – maybe even to apologize, but no words came to his mouth. He looked down at his fingers, curling them open and closed. Had his touch really made her run off like that? She'd never acted this way towards him before…

Shaking his head, the vulpine tossed his towel and tunic over his shoulder and waded back towards the path.

X

When Krystal had put a safe distance between herself and Fox, she stopped to hide behind a second tree and catch her breath. Placing her back to the trunk she set the yoke of gourds down, which had spilled most of its contents along the way.

She looked down at her hands, which shook involuntarily. In fact, gentle tremors seemed to run through her whole frame. While she gasped for breath she asked herself, how did he make her feel like this? How was it possible someone could make her feel both safe and frightened at the same time?

A paw grabbed her arm, and she cried out in surprise. Māra circled around the tree, revealing herself to Krystal. The turquoise-furred vixen placed a finger to her lips, shushing her before Fox could hear. Her grip around Krystal's wrist was iron tight, and her expression seemed just as stern.

"You were alone with the Lylatian!" she hissed in a whisper.

"I'm sorry!" Krystal whimpered. "I didn't know he was here! I was just fetching water and he happened to be close by."

"But why were you spying on him? Hasn't our mother taught you manners? Violating someone's privacy is the same as trespassing into their mind."

At the mention of spying, however, Krystal's ears perked. "Well, what were _you_ doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

Krystal forced Māra's hand off her wrist. "Did you come all the way out here just to spy on _me?"_

"I-"

"How long have you been following me like this!?" she demanded.

Her attendant shrank back; the tables had turned. "Krystal, I've only done my duty to the village. You are new here, and the elders are…worried about you."

Krystal stepped uncomfortably close to Māra, her face inches from her own. The turquoise-furred vixen backed up against another tree, suddenly fearful of her wrath. "Mother Namah put you up to this, didn't she?"

"She did…"

Realization struck Krystal's face. "Then it was _you_ who betrayed me to the elders! _You_ warned them when I snuck away to feed Fox and escape with him!"

For a few moments Māra stared at Krystal with trembling eyes, then let her chin sink to her chest before nodding. Krystal backed away, looking at the other vixen in a new light. She wasn't her attendant. She was an informant. A spy. A warden. One of the white-clad Watchers in her nightmares.

"Then none of it was real," Krystal said in a defeated voice. "All the attention and care you gave me was fake. You never meant it."

Māra looked up, her sweet face contorting in anguish. "I-I'm sorry Krystal. I was just doing what Mother Namah asked me to! I didn't want to spy on you and make reports behind your back. But I did want to be friends with you, and I still do! Please, forgive me for spying on you. I promise I won't do it again."

Krystal's eyes narrowed and she looked upon her with skepticism. "How do I know you won't report my meeting with Fox as soon as I turn my back?"

"I meant what I said! I'll never betray you again. I-if you don't believe me, then see for yourself. Look inside my heart; I'm inviting you in."

The vixen's eyebrows raised. "You trust me in your head?"

Māra took Krystal's paws in her own. "The only way we can move on is if we trust each other. So please, see for yourself that what I say is true."

Krystal felt hesitant. Fox had never liked her digging into his thoughts, and Namah had kicked her out whenever she tried looking in. It even made Māra uncomfortable when she'd search inside her head for a Cerinian word she didn't know – and now she knew why; she was worried about what Krystal might find there. But if she was pleading with her this much…

Krystal entwined her fingers with Māra's and closed her eyes. She reached out with her thoughts until the tendrils came in contact with a second consciousness. Her mind dipped forward, overlapping slightly with Māra's. On the surface she felt thousands of tiny voices all speaking at once; they were anxieties and worries that plagued the poor girl. Beneath the bubbling surface she felt a tense struggle between two louder voices. One was the girl's duty to Namah, and the other her love for Krystal. It wasn't as clear cut as Māra had claimed; she still held reservations about keeping Krystal's secret, but at least she knew her devotion was genuine.

She was about to surface when she noticed a second current buried beneath the others. Curious, she dove deeper and was surrounded by a concentration of images and memories. Each one was a short vignette focused on her and Fox – almost as if Māra obsessed over the two and the connection between them. In her ears, repeated questions rang out, causing the images to rearrange themselves and fit together like a giant puzzle, but no pattern seemed to fit.

In an instant Krystal snapped herself back out of Māra's mind, opening her eyes. She let go of the other vixen's hands and let her own drop to her side. She took in a deep breath and sighed slowly.

"You see?" Māra asked hopefully. "I've been telling the truth!"

"Not quite," Krystal stated.

The Cerinian's face turned worried.

"You lied about wanting to spy on Fox and me. Not for Namah – but for yourself. Why are you so curious about us?"

Biting her lip Māra looked over Krystal's shoulder, as if making sure Fox was nowhere around. Then she took Krystal's hand again and lead her back towards the village. "Come. They'll be suspicious if we stay out here too long. But once we get a moment alone, I think both of us have questions the other holds the answers to…"

X

After parting ways with Krystal, Fox returned to Itoro's house. The old man gave him some time off after helping him so much earlier in the day, and Fox spent it seated on the hillside in front of his hut. He reclined back on the hill, arms folded behind his head, watching as the clouds passed over the valley and cast shadows that raced over the fields of crops and grass. He just needed time to think.

Once the sun set behind the mountains, Itoro called Fox back inside to help prepare supper. The two stood side-by-side in the kitchenette, slicing vegetables Fox had picked from the Cerinian's garden. Try as he might, Fox's thoughts were not concentrated on the task in front of him; they were elsewhere.

The todd cursed when he accidentally nicked himself with the knife.

Itoro took notice. _"You seem quite distracted today."_

Fox checked his digit, then sucked on it for a bit. _"Itoro…you're not some informant for Mother Namah, are you?"_

 _"She is the village leader. But how do you mean?"_

 _"Like, if I confided a secret in you, you wouldn't go hobbling to the Matron's Hall to blab as soon as I turned my back."_

Itoro scratched the white tuft of fur dangling from his chin. "Hmmm… _that depends on whether or not you are plotting something particularly fiendish. I have a responsibility to protect the village, you know. But as far as being Namah's trained servant…what do_ you _think?"_

Fox glanced at the old man, thinking back over how he had talked about Namah in the past.

 _"I think you're trustworthy."_

 _"In that case, I am flattered. Now, what is it?"_

In truth, Fox hated talking about the subject at all. But he felt that if he didn't seek someone else's advice, he'd end up making a terrible mistake. Seeing as how Itoro was the only other man in the village – and an experienced one at that – he was his only option. So he sighed and worked up the courage to tell him.

 _"Itoro, I'm worried I'm in love with…someone,"_ Fox blurted out

 _"Who?"_ he answered absently.

 _"I'll give you three guesses."_

Itoro pretended to concentrate. _"Let me see…is it that fiery blacksmith you spar with everyday?"_

Fox chuckled and shook his head. _"No, I don't think I'm her type."_

Itoro continued guessing. _"Then_ _is_ _it Mother Namah?"_

"Ick."

 _"Well that rules out most of the people you've met in the village. That leaves only…me!?"_

"ICK!"

 _"Wrong again, eh? Usually the third guess is the charm. Please allow an old man a fourth. Your object of affection wouldn't happen to be the young Cerinian girl you brought with you,_ hm _? Krystal, I believe her name was."_

 _"Yeah, she's…she's the one."_

 _"And you come to me for advice because…?"_

 _"Because you're the only person I can talk to. This isn't something I can just tell Namah, or she'd never let me see Krystal again. And the friends and adults I'd normally talk to are lightyears away."_

Itoro huffed. _"Well, glad to know you're scraping the bottom of the barrel with me."_

 _"That's not what I meant! Besides, you're much older than me. You lived before the holocaust thing. You remember what normal life was like on Cerinia. I bet you've loved people before, haven't you? You've got experience."_

The elder's knife froze in his hand, and a far-away look came over his face as he stared out the window at the fading purple and pink sunset.

 _"Yes, I did love someone once. Many years ago. I'd almost forgotten what it was like…"_ Then he tapped a bony finger on Fox's chest. _"That is, until I met you. You've reminded me what life used to be like, with your youthfulness and energy. Not to mention your naivete. I was hoping you could show me what it was like being young again. So tell me…have you ever been in love before?"_

Fox nodded. _"I have, but…I don't know how real it was. When I was 16, after my father died, I rescued the daughter of a business magnate, and we fell in love. She was a bit older than me, and I wonder if I just needed someone to cope. But I made some mistakes and her position kept her from associating with me after that. It pretty much went down in flames…which is one of the reasons I'm scared about the feelings I have now."_

Itoro returned to slicing vegetables. _"And why is that? You are scared you will make the same mistakes with this girl?"_

 _"I am. She has the Curse, as everyone calls it. Perhaps I know that better than anyone. I can't keep secrets from her at all; she can read my mind at will. She knows all my secrets and my faults, and the things I worry about. She'll probably run from me faster than Fara did."_

 _"And yet you've traveled across the stars with Krystal for how long, exactly?"_

 _"Oh, uh…about a week?"_

Itoro looked at Fox, raising an eyebrow. _"You mean to tell me in all this time a mind-reader was cooped up with you, exposed to every thought, she never once ran from you or recoiled in disgust from the secret monsters you carry?"_

Fox stopped in his proverbial tracks. _"Well, uh, no."_

The old Cerinian fizzed. _"Then it sounds like she has come to accept you for who you are. She has seen your faults and judged you to be a decent person regardless of them. I don't know what hidden evils you are speaking of, but I am certain everyone in the galaxy, Cerinian or Lylatian, struggles with them as well. Just because we hide our inner demons from one another doesn't mean they aren't there. We all know they exist, so why pretend we are fooling anyone? And that goes especially for you, who are in love with a mind reader."_

 _"I don't know. It's just she's so perfect in every way, and I'm so…not that. I don't want her to be the one making all the sacrifices and looking the other way and accepting me for who am I am, when my job is so much easier."_

 _"Well then Fox, here's what you are to do. Learn from your mistakes with your past love. Change those things about yourself that you do not like. Even if Krystal has come to accept your faults, work hard to change them anyway. Do it not because you need to, but because you want to, to please her."_

Fox looked down at his hands, thinking over Itoro's words. He began to nod. _"You know, I think I might do just that. Thanks Itoro, for-"_

But at that moment a hissing sound came from the pot sitting over the stone stove.

"Oh kanga!" Itoro exclaimed. _"The water's boiling over!"_

X

Later that night Māra and Krystal found some privacy away from the others. They locked themselves inside the bathing room of the dwelling place they shared with several other sisters. An open window was positioned in the far wall, beneath which sat a large wooden bath tub. Along the walls were shelves of multicolored soaps, bath oils, and sweet-smelling perfumes in rudimentary corked bottles. The room was lit by the soft light of candles made from sweet-smelling beeswax; the flames flickered different colors, from the usual orange and yellows to mixtures of purples, blues, and greens. Steam rose in curling eddies from the tub, filling the room with a moist grey cloud and a warm atmosphere.

With the door locked, Krystal and Māra helped one another remove their robes before her attendant gestured for her to go first. The vixen slowly lowered herself into the oval-shaped tub, sitting near the back and gratefully stretching out her legs. The warm water only rose up to her stomach, leaving the rest of her fur high but not necessarily dry; it collected beads of condensation in the humid room.

Māra folded her legs beneath herself and sat beside the tub, preparing a selection of her favorite soaps and oils. Krystal glanced sideways at the different bars she sorted through, eying them carefully.

"Māra…have you ever accidentally eaten soap?"

She handed Krystal one. "No, can't say that I have. Why?"

Krystal shifted in the tub. "It's nothing."

While Krystal lathered up the bar in her hands, Māra poured a bucket of warm water over her shoulders and set to work on her back. The two washed in silence for a minute before Krystal couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Why are you so interested in me and Fox?"

The hands kneading into Krystal's shoulder stopped for a moment before continuing. "I'm curious about you two. You're quite mysterious, and different. I've never seen anyone like you in the village before."

"Is it because we're from Lylat?"

"That's…part of it. But mostly it's Fox. He is a man you know. The only people I've seen like him are the young boys in the village and the old male who lives in the hills."

"Yes, he is quite different, isn't he?" Krystal wrapped her arms around herself, remembering how Fox had held her that day.

"Cover your eyes," Māra instructed before upending a smaller bucket over Krystal's head. She began washing her hair with some of the sweet-smelling oils before she continued. "It's more than just being different. A man is someone you can love."

"Love?" Krystal asked. "But I don't just love him. I loved Vixy, and I love you, and the other sisters we share the house with. I love the fruit you grow here, and I love the beautiful robes you weave, and taking baths like this, and so much more."

Māra emitted a frustrated _humph_ as she worked on a tangled knot in Krystal's hair. "Yes, but it's not the same. It's hard because our word for love is used in so many different ways. For instance, the love you have for a type of fruit isn't the same as the love you have for me! At least I _hope_ it's not…"

"Of course not, silly! I love you more."

"And the love you have for me is less than the love you have for Fox, isn't it?"

Krystal felt embarrassed; she didn't want to hurt Māra's feelings. "Well, yes, I guess so."

Māra continued carefully brushing her fingers through Krystal's hair. "Don't worry, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's a different type of love, right?"

"Yes, it's…it's…oh, I don't know how to explain it! How do you know all of these things?"

The Cerinian's voice lowered. "While serving in the Matrons Hall, I've overheard the elders talking from time-to-time; the ones who were there before the Anomie. Men like Fox were commonplace back then, and the elders loved them in a different way than they love each other. Out of everyone, they would choose to love a single mate for life; someone they'd love more than anyone else. Someone they'd share their deepest secrets and worries and joys with. They described it as becoming one…"

"That's…that's exactly how I feel about Fox. I trust him with everything I have – and I wish he'd trust me the same way, but he doesn't. Something's holding him back."

"That's the reason I was so curious about you and him," Māra admitted. "I knew the two of you had that special love together – the love the elders talked about. I…I just wanted to know what it was like, since I've only ever heard about it and never experienced it myself."

Krystal thought hard for a moment, soaking in the warmth of the water. "You're right. But I'm worried he doesn't love me the same way." She twisted around in the tub and sprang to her feet, water cascading off her shining, sleek fur. Looking down at Māra she asked, "Can you help me? You seem to know so much more of this than I do. What am I supposed to do?"

Māra was taken aback by Krystal's forwardness, but a determined look came over her face. She rose to her feet and took Krystal's hands in her own. "Alright, I'll do all I can to help you. Tomorrow is the day of the festival; you two should spend as much time together as you can. But there's something else you need to know about. It may get a little gross…"

X

Millions of miles across the stars, Slippy knocked on an office room door. It opened to reveal a tall, greasy-furred stoat with a sleeked-back coat. His eyes lit up when he recognized the frog and immediately shook his hand.

"Well, greetings, Mr. Toad! Come in, come in. You must be excited today, aren't you?"

"Thank you sir! I am." Slippy returned the handshake and stepped inside the office. The stoat sat down behind his desk, gesturing for Slippy to sit in the chair across from him.

"Welcome to the Cornerian Security Agency division of Dawson-McLean Solutions! I am Slint Owens, chief supervisor of this division. It's an honor having a former Starfox member working alongside us here."

 _Former…Slippy_ repeated to himself. He'd been working at Dawson-McLean for three weeks now, effortlessly surprising his superiors with his skills and quickly moving up the ranks. It was this kind of dedication and achievement that had landed his very first contracting job with the CSA.

While Slippy seated himself, the stoat continued scuffling through papers and desk drawers for something. "Not all wars are fought on the battlefield or from a cockpit. Increasingly, they are fought through cyberspace, and your presence here lends credence to that fact. But I imagine it wasn't an easy choice. If I may inquire, what motivated you to hang up your wings for a desk job?"

Slippy shrugged, fidgeting nervously. "Well, in Starfox I specialized as the team's mechanic. I was a great engineer, but there were only so many problems I could fix physically. I kept running into stuff caused by software issues, so I taught myself a few coding languages. After the War I turned my attention to cybersecurity and…I guess I excelled at it."

"You certainly do; that's why you're here. Now, I'm just making sure all of your paperwork is in order. Let's see…" Owens mumbled to himself, "Resume and application…check. Entrance exam…check. Polygraph screening…check. Identification documents and vaccinations…all in order! Well sir, you are almost ready to start work. First, I need you to sign a non-disclosure agreement along with some other legal waivers. Basically, we value freedom of speech and information, but the government must balance those values with the public's safety. Most if not everything that comes across your desk will be highly classified, and carries severe criminal punishments if you were to reveal them to anyone. If you see anything or are asked to do something that goes against your conscience, please come see me or another one of your supervisors. About it."

"Y-yes Mr. Owens!"

The stoat smiled. "Please, call me Slint. Is Slippy alright?"

"Oh, yeah, of course."

"Splendid!"

Slippy took a moment to skim and sign each of the documents in turn, realizing this must have been what it was like for Fox when he accepted contracts. In a way he felt like a freelance mercenary himself; selling his services to the government like Fox used to do. Only Slippy would soar over data streams and striped landscapes of spreadsheets, checking for leaks in firewalls instead of energy shields.

Once he finished signing the documents, Slint again shook hands with Slippy and officially welcomed him aboard the team. Then he lead Slippy outside his room and showed him around Dawson-McLean's offices nestled within the larger Cornerian Security Agency's building.

As Slint walked Slippy past each of the divisions, he explained some of the organization's history. "The Cornerian Security Agency is a relatively new organization. In fact, their entire existence has been kept secret for 19 years! Originally, it formed to counter threats from pirates, the black market, and the rest of the criminal underworld, specifically specializing in surveillance. Then leading up to and during the Lylat Wars, it spied on Andross and Venomian sympathizers under the directive of Project Stratum. Once the war ended, the biggest threats became insurgents and terrorists within our own communities, and that is where Stratum's gaze falls upon now."

While Slint talked, Slippy gawked at the rows upon rows of computer monitors and data towers, poured over by CSA employees. Employees like himself now. It was overwhelming trying to take it all in at once.

"Unfortunately, surveillance is a messy business. Our job is to balance privacy concerns with the ultimate safety of the public. It is a big responsibility thrust upon our shoulders, Slippy, but one we are worthy of. As technology progressed, dutiful citizens and concerned politicians legislated protections of privacy, as they should. But some of these laws prove…detrimental to our efforts, to say the least. To stay within the law while still promoting the safety of the entire Lylat System, Corneria initiated the Pentagaze program. Since it's technically illegal to collect information from Cornerian citizens, we have entered into an agreement with four other planets to do so instead. Corneria, Aquas, Fichina, Papetoon, and Zoness have all agreed to collect data from one another's populace and share it with each other for counter-intelligence operations. Since red tape prevents us from collecting data from Cornerian companies, we contract Papetoon to do it. And since Papetoon's laws do not allow them to survey their own citizens, they in return contract us to do so."

"Wow, that sounds…ridiculous," Slippy admitted.

"Isn't it? Red tape is such a hindrance, but without it bureaucracy wouldn't function."

Still, Slippy couldn't help but whistle at the shear scale of the program.

Slint gave the frog a quick tour of the rest of the building's facilities, including the spacious cafeteria, gym, and lounge. In the main entrance hall they passed by a display of large, blocky letters that a crew was working on removing.

Curious, Slippy asked, "What's that?"

"Oh that," Slint laughed. "That was the CSA's motto before it was changed recently. It used to read, 'Don't Be Evil,' but of course that's kind of corny for a motto, so they're axing it."

But as they walked past, the work crew had taken away the first four letters on the stand, leaving only the last six characters behind.

procedure 03: occptl. lb


	25. Anadyomene

X

Mission No. 25

Cerinia  
Altaira Valley

Anadyomene

X

Fox lay a bouquet of flowers gently at the statue's feet. The gesture sent him back 8 years ago when the funeral was held for his mother. At first he didn't understand how they had recovered her body from the void of space – the glowing green nebula visible from his bedroom window every night since. When he finally found out the casket was empty, and his father had been taking him to lay flowers over a vacant grave every year, it wasn't really a sudden revelation; just a gradual realization that went hand-in-hand with acceptance over time. She wasn't actually sleeping beneath the tombstone. It was just a memorial; a representation. The best they could do. Afterwards, visiting the cemetery felt so…hollow. As hollow as the casket.

He straightened up, taking in the statue of his mother. It wasn't what he had hoped for, but at least it was closure. Maybe he could finally move on now that he had lain the flowers by her true resting place instead of a mere shadow.

Bowing his head and closing his eyes, he offered a halting, awkward prayer to her. Wherever she was, he hoped it reached her.

When he was finished Fox made to turn and leave the Garden of Tears, but he stopped. The smooth, tomb-like stone resting against the moss-covered cliff face behind his mother had caught his eye. He'd have to ask Itoro or Namah what it really was sometime.

Leaving for real now, he skirted the Hall of the Matrons and made for the winding path that lead down the hill. But at the top of the path he stopped, for a Cerinian girl was headed up the stairs in front of him. He stepped aside to make room for her, only to realize she was…

"Krystal?"

At the sound of his voice she looked up, her eyes brightening when she saw him standing there. She lifted the hem of her robe and hurried the rest of the way up, coming to a stop right in front of him where she curtsied.

"I-I almost didn't recognize you!" Fox stuttered.

The vixen had gone all-out decorating herself for the festival that day. She wore a pink, shoulder-less kimono emblazoned with flowers that shimmered in the light whenever she moved. A violet ribbon kept the front closed, tied in the back by a bow that resembled a butterfly's wings. Her hair was done up in an elaborate bun, but several wavy locks were left free to cascade down her face. Overall the hairdo made her look older and more mature than she really was – matching some of the other women he'd seen that day.

Krystal spun in a practiced circle. "Well? What do you think?"

The todd swallowed. "You look beautiful, Krystal." His answer was perhaps underwhelming, but the way he clammed up while gawking at her spoke volumes to the vixen.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Then, pretending to fiddle with the sleeves of her robe, she asked louder, "Are you staying in the village for the festival?"

Just as sheepishly, Fox looked down at his feet. Truthfully he didn't feel welcome around the rest of the Cerinians, and he was worried he might set them on edge if he were to stay. "I wasn't exactly planning on it; I was just going to help Itoro do more housework."

Krystal's expression fell, and she looked at him pityingly. Though Fox couldn't hear her thoughts, he saw from the look on her face that she was putting together why he came to visit the Garden of Tears and why he wouldn't be staying. Sensing this, he tried to mask his sadness with a half-assed smile, but it was too late.

"Nonsense!" she exclaimed. "They only hold the festival once every few hundred days! It will feel like forever before you get another chance!"

Working up the courage, she reached out and took his hand, rubbing his knuckles while looking up into his downcast eyes.

"Please? I'm sure you'll have fun. I was hoping we could enjoy it together…"

Finally Fox squeezed her hand back. "Alright, I'll stay. Though I feel a bit under-dressed for the occasion," he laughed, gesturing at his white robes.

"It's fine," Krystal assured him, "I don't think any of the robes in the village really fit you – you look better without them. Now come on!"

She turned and set off down the steps, strengthening her grip on Fox's paw and pulling him after her.

X

The festival was in full-swing by the time they arrived at the base of the hill. The Cerinians had decorated the village with paper-thin reed lamps, garlands of flowers hung beneath the roofs of buildings, and woven tapestries that celebrated the anniversary of its founding. Smiths set out displays of hand-crafted metal trinkets and baubles, tailors presented their finest, most intricate robes, and botanists beautified the streets with exotic flowers they'd bred. But perhaps what struck Fox most of all were the wonderful scents coming from some of the establishments. The bakeries and confectioneries stockpiled cakes and candies, the delicious smells wafting their way onto the street to tempt passersby into trying one.

Every Cerinian they passed, from elder to child, was dressed in exquisitely-woven robes like Krystal. They all looked at Fox funny as he passed, but for the most part they no longer showed fear. In the three weeks he'd been in Altaira, word had spread about the strange alien and the girl he'd safely brought to them. Some of the Cerinians were used to seeing him around the village on errands for old man Itoro. Rather than watch him warily, they now merely stole glances at him out of curiosity.

Still, the dozens of inquisitive looks and the alienating effect they had on Fox did not escape Krystal. She took his arm in hers and stayed by his side wherever they went, trying to abate any lingering fears the Cerinians still might have had.

They moved from building to building, watching the craftwomen work in their professions or tasting different candies. One of the establishments they stopped at specialized in honey; beekeepers brought hives and colonies of bees in from the fields and showed them off to festival-goers. Fox and Krystal tasted the sweet, sticky honey, which glistened blue and green rather than golden yellow. But Krystal seemed more captivated by the bees themselves; the little bumbling critters buzzed lazily around their honey combs, sometimes alighting on the vixen's robe.

"Why do these funny little creatures like me so much?" she asked, trying to catch one in her hands.

"Probably because of all the flowers on your robe," Fox joked. He laughed a bit, but stopped when one of the insects flew right up to his face and hovered there. He sucked in a breath and held perfectly still, only for the shining black bee to land on his nose and settle down. He went cross-eyed just trying to see the little fella. When Krystal noticed the plump insect masquerading as Fox's black button nose, she pointed and laughed at the two of them. Fox laughed at first, then asked one of the beekeepers, "These don't sting, right?"

Krystal stopped giggling long enough to translate his question, and the elderly keeper answered nonchalantly. Krystal sounded embarrassed when she relayed her response. "She says they only sting foreigners."

The keeper smiled toothily at him.

"Haha…oh."

After Krystal had played enough with the bees, the two of them set out from the honey stand. This time Krystal let go of his hand, confident that Fox felt more at home and wouldn't slip away. She skipped on ahead of him with a youthful spring in her step – even with the lengthy robe hampering her. Fox watched as she danced with childlike energy, though her motions were also graceful and fluid, most likely a result of her training with the kaitaki. She reminded him of days when he was younger and carefree, before everything happened.

She'd come a long way, Fox realized. When he first freed her from the cryochamber, she could barely walk normally, and she had to result to using all fours. Traversing the wastelands of Venom was especially hard on her, and the way she took shaky, uncertain steps was fresh in his mind. Even while walking around the steel corridors of the Great Fox her step was halting and timid at times, as if she were out of practice.

Following this train of thought began to sour his mood, but he couldn't give it up. How often did they actually let her outside that chamber? How much did she really get to walk on her own? For someone who'd been sealed away all of her life, even getting to move about freely like this was exhilarating alone. They kept her locked away from the rest of the world, so much of it was alien to her, and so little of it she understood. But that didn't hinder her from enjoying it – a fact not lost on Fox as he watched her playfully skip between the houses and greet her sisters. She was startlingly bright and perceptive for someone of her naïveté; she grasped how people and the world worked surprisingly fast, even settling into Cerinian society quicker than Fox had. Of course he knew more than her. But it was all the wrong things.

Now it was time to _un_ learn them.

Krystal turned around, finally noticing he'd stopped to look at her for a while. She whipped her tail around and tilted her head to the side. "What is it, Fox?"

He smiled in embarrassment and began walking again. "Sorry, it's just…I like looking at you when you're happy."

"Oh?"

"It's like you're so full of joy that you overflow to everyone around you. I can feel happy just by being close and catching the joy that spills off." He laughed and scratched his ear. "I know it sounds silly, but it's true. You have that effect on people."

She took his arm again. "Well, if that's true, I'll just have to stay closer so you can catch more."

They followed a few other groups of Cerinians down the road that lead back towards the fields, then took a footpath through the forest to where several creeks came together to make a deeper stream. A modest wooden dock sat on the edge of the shore, upstream of which a rope kept a flotilla of gondolas from drifting away with the current. A few staffers used pikes to lift the rope and free one or two boats at a time, pulling them in close to the dock to let groups of friends board them before floating off downstream.

Together they walked onto the dock – their sandals clunking against the wood beneath their feet. But Fox was surprised to see Māra already there.

"Was she waiting for us?" Fox whispered to Krystal.

The vixen shushed him and answered with her mind. _"Yes; she'll be alone in the boat behind ours."_

" _Alone?"_

" _Be patient; you'll soon see…"_

A pair of Cerinians held a gondola steady for the pair of vulpines to board. Fox gingerly stepped off the dock and into the flat-bottomed vessel, grabbing the edges of the boat and holding perfectly still will it rocked in place. When it settled, he reached back up for Krystal's hand and held her steady. With her free hand she hiked up the hem of her robe and lowered herself into the boat. Once again it swayed beneath their weight, and Fox helped Krystal maintain her balance until it stopped. Then they handed Fox an oar, and they were off.

The forest stole their very breath away. Overhead the awning of blossoms drifted by, bursting with bowers of purple, pink, and white flowers. The branches covered them like the canopy over a princess's bed. Curtains of willows hung gracefully from above, gently parting for the pair of foxes as their boat drifted through. Nowhere in Corneria or Lylat could be found a species of willow that blossomed like these – or that blossomed at all for that matter. And whenever a breeze rushed through the treetops, the branches would stir and rain down gentle flurries of pastel-colored petals like snowflakes.

Beneath the boat, the dark, rushing water became covered in sprinkles of brighter blossoms. The wake from the vulpines' boat and the concentric ripples expanding from the falling petals disturbed its mirror-like surface. The motion agitated the otherwise perfect reflection of the treetops and patches of blue sky peeking through.

Fox barely had to paddle at all; he stood in back, using the wood pole to push off the shore if they came too close, but otherwise he let the stream do all the work. The current gently pushed the boat forward so that it glided over the surface of the water like a fleeting cloud.

Krystal sat in front of him, a smile gracing her face as she soaked in the canvas of soothing colors. Every once in awhile she'd glance back at him to see his reaction – almost as if she thought she was dreaming and wanted to make sure he was still there, sharing the moment with her and confirming it was reality. Fox's heart soared whenever she did, for he shared the same worry. He must have swallowed some petals, for he could feel them fluttering in his stomach whenever she turned to gaze at him.

Then something caught Krystal's attention; it was hidden behind a curtain of pink willow fronds on the side of the stream.

"Fox, please turn left."

The todd blinked to attention. He peered beneath the branches, and sure enough floating petals seemed to slip beneath the leaves where a small branch split off from the rest of the creek. Fox then glanced at the gondola ahead of them. It was much farther downstream, and the three Cerinians aboard it wouldn't notice them slip away. But when he looked over his shoulder he saw Māra seated in the boat behind them.

"I can't," Fox whispered, "Māra will see us sneaking off."

Krystal turned and tugged on his robe, looking up at him urgently. "She won't tell! Trust me, we'll be fine."

As if sensing their conversation, Māra smiled and waved reassuringly.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Fox struck the bottom of the creek with his oar and pushed the boat towards the hidden tributary. The prow nosed towards the curtain of willow leaves, but it didn't look like they were going to make it; he'd acted too late. Desperately now, Fox threw the weight of his shoulder into the oar, but the end slipped in the sediment and he lost his purchase. He went to re-position the oar and push again, but mysteriously found the boat turning sharply on its own. Jaw hanging agape, he watched as the gondola swerved and cleared the bank that made the fork by mere inches, disappearing down the smaller branch.

"I don't understand it," he mused. "How did we turn so much…?"

He glanced at Krystal when he heard her let out a sharp exhale, but she covered her mouth when she saw him looking and turned away.

"Did…you do that?" Fox asked.

She looked over her shoulder at him, worry in her eyes. "Please Fox, don't tell Namah. I'm not supposed to use my powers for little things like this."

"Oh, of course not!" he blurted. "Everything that happens from here on out will stay between us."

She tilted her head. "Oh? And what could happen?"

That sent Fox scrambling for an answer. "Well, the two of us being out here alone goes against Namah's orders…"

"Hm…Indeed, it does. But she won't find out."

The smaller branch arced gradually away from the main creek, placing an island with steep banks and a wall of trees between the foxes and the rest of the passing Cerinians. Eventually they sailed so far away that they couldn't hear the laughing voices, and they truly felt alone, away from any prying eyes. The outside world vanished; their reality became limited to the edges of what they could see, as if they'd slipped into a hidden dimension, or a bridge between the universe and paradise.

The stream spilled out into a large, placid pond. Here the water slowed to a lazy pace, and the gondola inched forward like a snail. Now traveling at less than a crawl, they could take in the sights at their leisure, without the creek rushing them along. In this sheltered world, time slowed to a mere trickle, granting a small taste of eternity.

Fox turned to look upstream, but there weren't any boats in sight. "I don't think Māra or anyone else followed us. It's like she _let_ us slip away, and got in the boat behind us so no one else would notice…" Then realization hit him, and he turned back to Krystal. "Wait, did the two of you plan—"

The words caught in his throat.

Krystal had turned around to face him, spreading her robe out on the bench. A stream of pink blossoms swirled down from the treetops, flowing like a river up and around the azure-furred vixen like the rings of a celestial giant. She looked like an angel – a young goddess. A saint depicted with a golden halo so commonly found in iconography; beautiful, yet somehow modest and abashed.

"Yes Fox," she finally said, "Māra agreed to help us. I just wanted us to get away from all the villagers and their prying thoughts. So let's make the most of our time here…" her eyes sparkled towards him, "…shall we?"

Fox swallowed. "Um, yeah. Why not?"

Krystal relaxed, and the petals spinning around her like a hurricane dispersed, ending their dance. She pivoted on the bench, removing her sandals before raising the hem of her robe above her knees and dipping her legs into the cool water. Slowly treading her feet back and forth, she tilted her head back and let the breeze wash over her face. She closed her eyes and hummed softly, taking it all in. If Fox didn't know any better, he would've thought a nymph had climbed up out of the water and clothed herself in petals.

In contrast to the tranquil scene, Fox's thoughts formed a chaotic maelstrom within him. Carefully he tried to reason his way through the storm of emotions, with Krystal shining through to guide him like a lighthouse beacon.

It was rare for Fox to feel on such equal terms with someone else. After the war, he was overwhelmed with girls showering their affection on him – like the two giggling fans Falco had brought to his house. But none of it was because of who he was; it was only because of what he'd _done._ Every girl he met felt eternally indebted to him for liberating the System and saving their lives. They wanted to repay him and thank him for his service – perhaps even to comfort the tortured, vulnerable soul they were sure hid beneath the war hero's tough exterior.

Even Fara fell victim to that trap. Staring across the boat at the gorgeous vixen, he found himself trying to picture the fennec seated in Krystal's place, but there was almost no comparison. How much of the Fara's love was merely given out of indebtedness to him? How much did he unwittingly extort? Blackmail? Demand? Fara had been the first one he'd saved, years before the war, and the first girl he'd loved. Even then they had been on unequal ground. He had saved her from a band of pirates and certain death – or worse, and in return she gave him her all. At least, _most_ of herself.

There was no _real_ love in that. No reciprocation. The scales would always be tipped in Fox's favor. He'd always be on higher ground. Unequal.

But Krystal was… _different._

Of course he had indirectly saved her along with everyone else in Lylat. Without him, the mad scientist would almost certainly have conquered the System and have been free to finish whatever cruel experiments he'd started on her. But most importantly, she didn't even know about it. She was unaware of how he saved billions of people from an evil tyrant. All she knew was what he had done for her; he was nothing more, and that was the way he wanted it.

Together they balanced out the boat; Fox crouching in the back, steering their path, and Krystal seated gracefully in the front. Once they began sailing they never had to worry about tipping the vessel again.

Perhaps…perhaps she was a chance to start anew.

With much effort, Fox wrenched himself free from the protective cage of his mind and breathed in the real world once again. The boat passed a beautiful flowering bush, and he reacted just in time to pluck a blossom from amidst the leaves. It was a soft lavender in hue, with tender, delicate petals and a fragrant aroma.

Sucking in a breath, he carefully stood up from his seat and sat down beside Krystal. Her eyes flashed open in surprise, but a smile graced her lips and she leaned back against him gratefully. Fox brushed a few locks of her hair aside and fixed the blossom in place; the flower perfectly matched the color of her light pink robes.

Krystal leaned out over the water, admiring the flower in her reflection. Then she lifted her legs out of the creek and placed them back in the boat; rivulets of water trailing off her fur and soaking the bottom. The bench pressed the two vulpines so close together that her drenched calves rubbed against Fox's, dampening them. When she turned to face him, their noses brushed up against each other, and she flinched.

"S-sorry," they both whispered at the same time.

Yet neither one drew back. Their faces hovered mere inches from each other; a magnetic force keeping them in place. Fox was scared even the slightest movement would shatter the moment like a fragile hourglass, so he tried to stay perfectly still. They were so conscious of their neck muscles that they trembled, and their heads wavered slightly…even though the sum of their motions was to inch towards one another. They felt trapped in time, and the whole world around them disappeared. There was just her, and him.

At the same time, it scared Fox. Looking at Krystal now, seated beside him, it was hard to grasp that another person who loved him unconditionally was so close he could reach out and hold her. But it meant that he could fail. How easy it would be for him to say the wrong thing or act too quickly or do something idiotic and lose her. Everyone else was so eager to overlook his mistakes and forgive him because he'd earned it in their eyes. Now however he'd have to earn Krystal's trust and respect, and maintain it. For once, he'd have to change himself. And the prospect of messing it all up and breaking her heart terrified him.

Fox looked over the features of her face; her petite muzzle, elfin eyes, and adorable black button nose. Her lips were slightly parted, and her eyes brushed over his face as well in wonderment, though unlike his slow methodical stare they jumped from feature to feature erratically, as if she were excited to be so close. She brought her hand up to feel the strong line of his jaw, and her other paw to brush against his contrastingly soft cheek. But Fox's eyes couldn't escape the gravity of her own jewel-like orbs, and once they crossed the event horizon to look at them there was no turning back. When her eyes finally settled on his, he stared directly into them, marveling at how bright the twin diamonds glowed. Her aqua-colored irises flickered as the hottest part of a flame; shimmering like a lagoon reflecting a sky of stars. The desire to adventure in and explore the microcosmos her eyes offered flamed within his heart. It felt like her soul was bared for him to see, hammering home that another living, breathing, heart-beating creature sat in front of him, thinking the same thoughts and feeling the same urges as he. And the more Fox stared, the better he could see his brilliant green eyes reflecting in her own.

At once they leaned into each other; body and mind. Krystal lay her paws on his chest, and Fox gently rested his hands on the small of her back, pulling her closer. As their bodies touched, so did their minds. Fox could feel a presence drawing closer and closer to him with a gravity of its own. Then Krystal reached out, overlapping the ocean of her mind with his. It wasn't a deep dive into him; just a tentative wade into the shallows, like she had dipped her legs into the stream earlier. Yet it was enough to make one another's desires mutually known.

Krystal tilted her head sideways so that she could bring her mouth closer to his.

"What is this?" she asked. When she spoke her lips brushed against Fox's with each syllable, sending giddy sparks of energy shooting through him. "You want our mouths to touch. Why?"

Fox wet his lips quickly, and when he spoke they likewise tipped hers. "It's a kiss," he said simply, as if naming it would explain everything.

"She kissed me before," she continued, and Fox knew who she meant. "Sometimes on the head. Sometimes on the cheek. But never on the mouth, so that I could kiss back. You…you want to kiss my lips. Why is that?"

Their lips continued to incidentally caress each other.

"Well, it's just like you said. It's so you can kiss back. People kiss because…they want to feel close to one another."

"Do you want to kiss me, Fox McCloud?"

He gulped. "You know what I want. You're inside me…"

She hummed. "I do know what you want. But I cannot see what you'll _do._ So tell me, Fox; _will_ you kiss me?"

Fox panicked. What exactly did he feel for her? Over and over again he'd denied it was love. He pushed her away time and time again, trying to write her off as just another person he had incidentally saved while doing a selfish deed for himself. And when his feelings for her intensified he dismissed them as pity for a tortured soul and the desire to protect a sister he never had; a sister in place of the family he'd lost. But it was more than that; so much more than that, boiling like a pressure cooker beneath the surface of his thoughts. And in this moment he stopped denying it.

Acting on instinct, he leaned in closer and gave her a quick, tentative peck, causing her eyes to go wide. There he was; Fox McCloud, liberator of star systems, rogue of the heavens, slayer of evil tyrants. And all he could muster was a kiss that lasted a single, frightened instant.

Surprised, Krystal pulled back and looked at him again.

"That was a kiss?" she asked, cocking her head. "It seemed a bit…short, don't you think?"

Fox grinned sheepishly. "I-I'm sorry. If you want I could make it-"

She huffed impatiently. "Here, let me try."

Her head darted forward, and this time she planted her lips fully against Fox's – just long enough for him to feel how soft and taste how sweet they were, but once again she pulled swiftly away.

Fox let out a breath, feeling his heart rate picking up. The brief taste was maddening. "Well, that was close," he admitted, "but more like…"

Keeping one hand on the small of her back, he used the other to cup her head and bring her closer before locking his lips against hers. Together they closed their eyes and concentrated on the sensation of touch alone; the coolness of the other's exhaled breath against their cheek, the warmth of their mouths, and the smooth dampness of their lips.

For years there had been a vacuum in Fox's heart; an empty space caused by the deaths of his mother and father, the people that loved him the most. It was widened when the mad dictator took his home from him, forever ruining it in his own image. For a time the fire of revenge burned in its place, but it only served to singe away more of his heart. When Andross died and the fuel was eaten up, the flame winked out, leaving an even bigger hole. The emptiness left him hungry; he ravenously needed someone to love.

And this simple kiss had sparked a bonfire.

They kept their lips embraced for a minute, then mutually pulled away. Once again, Krystal's eyes darted over his face, trying to understand what she felt as well as what she sensed within _him_.

"Did…you like it?" he asked.

Her only answer was to put her arms around his neck and kiss him again. This time Fox felt an equal hunger behind her lips; a force which pressed them harder and begged Fox to do the same. She bobbed her head around, kissing him from different angles, consuming as much of him as she could.

It lasted much longer this time, before Krystal pulled back. Both vulpines were short of breath and gasped for air.

"Fox," Krystal panted, "I want to get closer to you. I heard it's possible…"

Fox breathed heavily, blood on fire as it raced through his veins. Krystal placed her hands on the fold of his tunic, parting the two front flaps and brushing the fur beneath with her fingers. Sensing her hunger through their shared connection, he grew more excited himself. He looked down at the vixen's petite shoulders, where her robe had slipped dangerously low over her chest. The hem had rode up to her hips, gathered safely away from her drying, exposed legs. He felt the urge to take her right then and there, beneath the canopy of petals.

Yet he hesitated. The sound of rushing water and distant voices grew louder, perking his ears. Reluctantly, he took his wandering eyes off Krystal and grabbed her paws, gently lifting them from his chest. He didn't trust himself; nor did he trust her.

"We should go," Fox said quietly. "They might begin to wonder where we are."

Krystal sighed and withdrew her mind from his. It was as if someone had been torn away from him, and he felt alone, even though Krystal sat right beside him. Self-consciously she pulled her robe back up her shoulders and stretched the hem out to cover more of her legs. She turned away from Fox, but her eyes snuck back.

"Can we see each other again?" she whispered. "Alone, like we are now?"

Feeling guilty for ending their moment, Fox reached up and brushed at her hair. "Of course we can."

"Soon?" she asked with rising hope.

"I hope so," Fox admitted. "When do you want to meet?"

Her eyes lit up and she pounced on him. "How about tonight!?" she blurted excitedly.

"To-tonight?" he echoed in surprise.

"Mhm!" She took his paw in her own. "I want to get closer to you…"

Fox bit his tongue, glancing between Krystal and the bushes that hid them from the main stream.

"Alright," he said. "Do you remember the spot where we ran into each other yesterday?"

Krystal's eyes widened before she looked away in shame, as if hiding something. Still, she nodded affirmatively.

"After the sun sets tonight, and the stars are all out, meet me on the edge of the forest close to the waterfall. I'll be waiting in the field, watching for you."

"I'll look for you too," she answered.

Spotting the mouth of the estuary that poured back into the main creek, Fox new it was time. He left Krystal's bench and sat on the opposite side of the gondola, grabbing hold of the oar once again. When the boat came upon the junction, Fox brought them in close behind the bank. The two of them ducked low, and Fox held the gondola in place with the oar. When a significant gap appeared between the passing boat and the one far behind it, Fox pushed off with the oar and they sailed back onto the creek.

As far as they knew, the affair had come off without a hitch. Māra was nowhere to be found, though she had probably sailed on ahead of them since the side stream was nearly stagnant. The Cerinians in the gondola behind theirs looked surprised to see them, but it wasn't like they would report them to the elders like a pair of secret police. And when they landed at the dock further downstream, the young girls in the boat ahead of theirs were likewise surprised to see them, but merely whispered in hushed tones at one another and stole glances their way before running off.

When the Cerinian waterwomen pulled their boat in close to the dock, Fox climbed out first and turned to help Krystal. She accepted his hand and let him lift her out of the boat, coming to stand safely beside him. For a few moments she wouldn't let go of his paw, and looked longingly at Fox. Then she forced her grip to loosen, her fingers slipping between his before her arm fell limply to her side. She looked away, but spoke a sentence to his mind.

" _Tonight?"_ her thoughts echoed to him.

" _Tonight,"_ Fox affirmed.

Then, reluctantly, she turned and walked off towards the village, the child-like energy gone from her trudging steps. Fox released a sad, broken sigh before heading back towards the path out of the village. But when he remembered their promise and the prospect of an evening spent alone, his stomach fluttered and his heart soared again. His feet took him faster along the path, and he couldn't wait for the sun to dip beneath the mountains and for the stars to shine that night.

X

Elsewhere, hundreds of miles above Cerinia's surface, the CSS Justice orbited the planet. The underside of the ship blended in with the sky, appearing no more than a ripple in the stars – and only if viewers on the surface knew exactly where to look.

Bill Grey sat in the captain's chair like a troubled king; nervously perched on the edge, hands steepled together, focused on the strange device that took up the deck in front of him. Like the rest of the crew, he was getting antsy. For three straight weeks they circled Cerinia in low orbit, scanning the surface with the ship's instruments and #19's telepathy, but none of their efforts had yielded any results. While they had identified numerous communities of Cerinians, none sheltered #28 – at least according to their own bloodhound test subject.

Bill glanced around at the other officers and persons of note in the room. In front of the large spherical device, Dr. Makepeace absently monitored vitals along with several other General Dynamics scientists. She pretended to be enveloped in her work, glancing between the monitor and a work tablet, but he just _knew_ she was trying not to look at him.

Fay and Miyu sat at their stations without talking to one another, and likewise tried to busy themselves with whatever work they could find on the ship. But he noticed them stealing glances at him out of concern. As their leader, he couldn't mirror any of the crews' unrest, but even they could see signs of his composure slipping.

In contrast, Lieutenant Baines stood resolutely still towards the front of the bridge deck, overseeing the crew pit. Bill was beginning to think he had turned into a statue. In fact his disciplined control was beginning to irk the bulldog. He wished he'd hurry up and snap already, or at least betray a nervous tic.

Makepeace glanced at the clock on the spherical container, then pursed her lips after seeing the time. The carmine-furred vixen turned and approached Bill's chair, folding her tablet beneath her arms.

"Captain, Subject 19 has been in an extended theta brainwave state for five hours. How much longer must we keep her in there?"

Bill wrung his hands and looked at Miyu, who had a height map of the planet's surface on her display. The lynx nodded. "We've passed over the mountain range and are currently above flatlands. We've scanned our target for today.

The bulldog sighed. "Very well then; let's see what she found."

Bill stood up and followed Makepeace to the large device in the center of the deck, with Fay close behind. It was black and spherical, slightly larger than a person in diameter. The sensory deprivation tank minimized outside stimuli for the user. It had sound- and lightproof walls and was filled with lukewarm water, which was heated to skin temperature to negate sensations of warmth or cold. Finally, the solution was mixed with Epsom salt to keep the user afloat and feeling weightless.

Right now the pod was closed. When Bill stopped beside it, he could see the shadowy, warped reflection of himself staring back from the chrome shell. Transformers poked out of the tank at different angles, and cables slithered down to the floor and across to the researchers' monitoring equipment.

Dr. Makepeace simply pressed a button, and the lid to the tank jolted free before slowly opening like a scallop shell. Inside revealed #19 floating on her back in a tub of water. The surface looked pristine and undisturbed, and 19 appeared so quiet and still that Bill thought she could be dead if it wasn't for the telltale rising and falling of her bare breasts. Her long, silver hair spread out around her head like a halo, wavering beneath the surface like seaweed. Her eyes blinked profusely, adjusting to the flood of light. The water automatically drained from the pod, leaving her crouching with her knees pulled up to her chest at the bottom. When there was nothing but a shallow puddle left, she stood and let the water trickle off her fur. Then she noticed Bill and made eye contact with him. Slowly she folded an arm over her chest and grabbed some locks of her long, platinum hair to move in front of her lap. But she didn't hide or cower away from him; her face a blank slate.

Fay watched Bill's expression warily, but he was too entranced by the Cerinian to notice. If she wasn't an alien test subject, they would never have brought the pod to the control bridge in the first place.

Makepeace rushed to drape a towel around the girl's shoulders, then helped her climb out of the pod. The scientist dried her off for a minute before Bill rounded the chamber to talk to her.

"Well? Did you hear Subject 28 this time?"

Bill's words were filled with the last shreds of hope he could muster. For three weeks they had repeated the same process; passing over likely hiding places, investigating more populated settlements, and having 19 listen for the kidnapped Cerinian's thoughts below. Yet nothing ever came of it. Time and time again he was only disappointed and let down.

And this time was no different.

19 didn't even answer him out loud. She merely tilted her head down and shook it in shame.

Bill tried to contain his disappointment. His fingers flexed open and curled into fists repeatedly. But before he could respond an ensign spoke up from his station.

"Captain Grey, incoming transmission from Gate Control."

Icy chills ran through Bill, and he swallowed. That could only mean one thing – or rather, one person.

Tugging at his shirt collar, the bulldog marched back to the captain's chair before turning to face the prow; he didn't dare sit.

"Patch them through," he ordered.

A holographic screen projected in the air above the crew pit, displaying the golden fur and scarlet red uniform of General Pepper.

Bill curtly saluted. "General."

"Captain." Pepper's expression looked disappointed and stern. "Status report please."

The canid cleared his throat. "Well, sir, we just finished surveying another vast mountain range and identified multiple Cerinian settlements, though Subject 28 did not appear to be among them. We've crossed the range off our list and have narrowed our search down even further. There are only a few likely landing points left for McCloud-"

"For clarification, Captain, you have not yet ascertained the Cerinian's location _or_ found a definite lead on its whereabouts?"

Setting his jaw, he owned up to the answer. "No sir, we haven't."

Pepper's expression didn't change. It was still stone-cold, though the tone of his voice felt sharper when he next spoke.

"It has been 21 days since your search began, yet during that time your efforts have proved fruitless. I've given you Corneria's most advanced warship. I've given you command of two units and a ship's crew. I've given you one of our remaining few Cerinian test subjects. _And_ I've given you a generous three weeks. But what have you given me in return, Bill?"

The bulldog's fists clenched behind his back. "Nothing, sir."

"I don't think you understand the urgency of this mission, Grey. The Cerinia project _must_ proceed as quickly as possible. It can't afford any more hang ups. Too much is at stake; all of Lylat is waiting for you. Every day, people die by the thousands starving for food and energy. It is imperative that you recover #28."

Bill bowed his head. "I know sir. I understand their suffering, and it pains me to report back nothing. But Cerinia is an entire planet, and we are just one ship. I understand if you can't spare any more-"

"We can't _risk_ any more ships," Pepper corrected. "Cerinia is a dangerous planet, and a single vessel has the greatest chance of going unnoticed. Besides, you have Cerinian 19 at your disposal, so make use of it. Perhaps you are not being thorough or aggressive enough in your search. Redouble your efforts! Be sterner with your subject. You have failed me twice before, Captain. I will not tolerate a _third_ time…"

He snapped a salute, and Bill returned the gesture. Then Pepper ended the call, and the screen winked out above the crew's heads. No one on the bridge dared speak, though the occupants' eyes all focused on Bill.

The canine slowly inhaled a lungful of air, then released it gradually to calm his temper. Everything was going wrong. This was supposed to be _his_ mission; to prove his worth as a captain. It was his one chance to earn back Pepper's favor after so stupidly fumbling it before. Unlike Fox he had stayed in the Academy and done things the honorable way, playing by the rules. Pepper naturally favored him more, and he secretly craved the attention replacing Fox as Lylat's hero would bring him. Now that opportunity was slowly but surely slipping between his fingers, and it was because other people were holding him back.

Bill marched back across the deck to the isolation pod and stopped in front of Makepeace. He pointed at #19, who flinched slightly.

"Why hasn't she sensed Cerinian 28 yet?" he demanded in a quiet but sharp voice. "We've been all over the god-forsaken planet at this point. So what's the hold up? Has she forgotten what 28's brain signature or whatever sounds like? Can she not pick her thoughts out from a crowd of other Cerinians? Are we too high up?"

Beside Makepeace, 19 began to shrink away. But the doctor set her jaw and firmly answered Bill. "19 is doing the best she can. She hasn't forgotten 28's thought patterns, but I'm afraid there is nothing we can do to make sure she can hear her. It's not safe down there."

 _"Nowhere_ is safe!" Bill exclaimed. "I can't go back to Pepper time and time again to just report _nothing._ You heard what he said. You know how much is riding on this mission. As someone who is heavily involved in the Cerinia project, I would expect _you_ of all people would be eager to get results. We have to do something more, or else we'll get nowhere."

Noting how Bill's tirade had disheartened 19, Makepeace sent her away with several of the scientists. She turned back to face Bill. "And what would you have us do, Captain?"

Bill pointed out to Cerinia's horizon, which they were perpetually flying towards. "We need to fly closer to the surface; specifically, cruising altitude. We'll have an easier time identifying settlements, and 19 will have a better shot at hearing 28 – at least I assume so. Finally, our scanners could pick out an Arwing at that height."

But the vixen shook her head. "You don't understand. Approaching Cerinia is like trying to grab a cactus with invisible spines. The Justice's camouflage is significantly weakened at that height, and we risk pricking ourselves on a dangerous foe."

The bulldog crossed his arms confidently. "Then we'll deal with that when the time comes. We have Lylat's most advanced cruiser in addition to two units of pilots. My men aren't meant to stay cooped up in a ship, doctor; they were meant to fight. So let them do their job."

"You're not giving me a choice, are you, captain?"

"No. I'm not."

Makepeace held his glare for several tense seconds, matching it with one of her own. Then, realizing it was futile, she sighed and looked towards the floor. "Alright then, but at least let me warn you what you are going up against."

"Pray, do tell."

Makepeace raised her voice so the whole bridge could hear. "There is a reason Cerinia is classified as a forbidden planet – an even higher level than Venom. In fact, we are the only Lylatians to visit the planet in 8 years. Over a decade ago, the natives underwent a simultaneous evolutionary change that ultimately proved catastrophic to their race."

Fay raised her eyebrows questioningly. "All at the same time?"

"We had been studying the Cerinians up to that point, but once they developed psychic powers they lost control of them, destroying their civilization and wiping out the majority of their race. We haven't returned since to study the cause. Each Cerinian is so powerful that Andross started his own program to kidnap and experiment on them with the hopes of employing them as bioweapons or limitless power sources." She nodded towards the door which 19 had exited through minutes before. "#19 is one such victim of his program. Many of you saw the harm she did in the laboratories when she lost control of herself. Now, imagine a planet filled with a species like her. _That_ is what we are up against."

"I'd like to see them hold their own against spacefighters and a warship," Bill smirked.

Makepeace glared at him. "Do not underestimate the Cerinians. 19 only demonstrated a taste of what they can do, and our target 28 has not unlocked the full potential of her powers yet. From afar Cerinians can cast projectiles at you. In person, they can tear you limb-from-limb without flexing a muscle. They can read your mind, preempt your actions, and exploit your thoughts at will."

The more Makepeace talked, the more Bill began to grasp the seriousness of the threat they posed. Gradually he loosened his confident stance.

"Don't think. _Act._ Always keep your distance. If they come close, wait till you have a perfect shot and take them by surprise. You will not get a second chance. And to think Andross was close to releasing them on the Lylat…" She turned to face Bill. "Well Captain, after hearing all that, are you still committed to risking a closer approach?"

But the canid slowly nodded anyway. "We have no other choice. We accepted this mission without regard for our own lives. The people of Lylat are more important."

Makepeace closed her eyes. "Then so be it."

"Baines," Bill called to his lieutenant, "take the Justice down to cruising altitude; 40,000 feet. Scan for Fox's Arwing, but especially be on the look out for Cerinian heat signatures. They may be a threat."

The beagle saluted and gave the order for the crew to enter the atmosphere. Bill however left the bridge in a hurry.

X

A minute later the bulldog caught up to #19, who was headed with two scientists towards the makeshift laboratory.

"Hey!" he called ahead of him. "19, wait!"

Ahead of him in the hallway, the Cerinian and pair of scientists stopped, turning back to him. Bill slowed to a stop and asked for the men to go on ahead, who reluctantly obliged. They left Bill and 19 alone in the hallway.

The Cerinian's fur was still damp from the isolation chamber, and her feet let wet prints on the floor. She made for a sorry sight, and couldn't bring her head up to face Bill.

" _I'm sorry I can't hear 28,"_ she said in Venomian. _"I apologize for my failure. I'm trying, I really am, but if she doesn't speak, I can't hear her. There's nothing I can do about that."_

Bill sighed. "It's alright, I didn't mean to make you worry about it. It can't be helped. We'll just have to try harder from now on, okay?"

She nodded, eager to make up for her perceived failure.

The bulldog shifted on his feet. "Look, it doesn't feel right calling you 19 all the time. I was wondering if you had a real name?"

The purple-furred vixen looked up at him. _"Yes, it's 19."_

"No I mean…a different name. Not your subject number. You know, like Bill, or Makepeace."

She shook her head slowly, silver locks waving. _"No, I can't remember any. In the labs they only ever called me 19."_

"Well, how about a nickname? Something they'd call you by occasionally instead of the number, but wasn't officially your name."

19 thought harder about it, her brow furrowing. A saddened look came over her face, and she suggested, _"You mean Meinsau?"_

The translator app refused to interpret the word. And it was no wonder.

It meant bitch.

A wave of sympathy crashed over Bill, and his jaw hung slightly agape. He lay a paw on her shoulder and spoke softly.

"19…19 will do for now. Okay?"

X

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Sorry I was a little late with this update, but I've never written serious romance like this before, and I wanted to make sure everything was perfect. It took me longer than usual to get things flowing. Unfortunately from here on out the updates will probably come at a slower pace like they did before the summer started._

 _I also feel the need to warn that the next chapter will be rated M, and I'll be changing the overall rating of the story to reflect that. So remember to leave a follow for whenever that next update comes, and if you are a guest or someone who doesn't have the story followed, be sure to set the site's filter settings to "Ratings: All" whenever you check the front page. Anyway, bye for now!_


	26. The Lines Between

X

Mission No. 26

Cerinia  
Altaira Valley Forest

The Lines Between

X

Night fell over the valley; the day of the festival drawing to a close. But the celebration carried on into the evening, with the rest of the villagers feasting and drinking inside taverns or the homes of friends. With everyone snug indoors, the village's central street and side paths were left clear, tail nor whisker of a Cerinian in sight.

After beginning a meal with Māra and her housemates, Krystal excused herself for a moment – but she had no intention of returning. The vixen slipped outside to sneak through the village unnoticed, disappearing into the woods.

Breathlessly, she ran through the forest towards the stream and the fields beyond. She dared not walk along the main path for fear of someone recognizing and stopping her. Instead she forged her own way through the trees, praying she didn't run into anyone…or any _thing._ The sun had just set behind the mountains, but a purple fire burned on the edge of the horizon, bathing the trees in an amethyst glow. She had difficulty seeing, which, along with the hem of her robe, caused her to trip and stumble regularly. She cursed the set of flowing robes she had to lift while running. At the same time, the moving shadows created by waving tree branches played tricks on her in the dark, and she felt as if every trunk hid a monster behind it.

She hoped she wasn't too late. She worried she'd kept him waiting too long, or that he thought she wouldn't come. Those fears licked like a fire at her heels, driving her forward through the maze of trees. But it wasn't only fear she felt; there was also excitement and anticipation of what was to come.

After a tiring eternity, her ears pricked up at the sound of the rushing stream. Ahead of her she made out a winding mirror of stars that cut through the otherwise pitch-black forest floor. Strange purple mushrooms dotted the creek in small clumps, illuminating the edges of the water with a dim glow. She'd never noticed them during the day, but neither had she been out here after dark.

The noise of falling water droned louder in her left ear, so she headed upstream. Before long she rounded a bend to the pool with the waterfall Fox had indicated earlier that day. She could make out the brighter-colored water cascading down the far side, and easily hear the thunderous crashing as the fall splashed into the pool below.

Unbidden, her thoughts went back to the previous day when she had caught Fox bathing beneath the waterfall. The mere recollection of the memory excited her, but she had more important matters; she needed a way across.

Squinting, she could barely make out a fallen log that bridged the stream before the pool. Sucking in a breath, she climbed up onto the trunk and wobbled across it. She held out her arms for balance, alternatively tipping left and right and over-correcting in the opposite direction. But she safely made it to the opposite side and dismounted, brushing off her robe.

Now on the opposite side of the bank she climbed up the incline and raced towards the edge of the forest. But on the cusp of the trees she slowed to a stop.

An endless sea waited for her, threatening to swallow her up.

Krystal had never seen the fields up close before; just heard about them. Only a few times in her life had she seen a space so vast and sprawling. She remembered spending most of her life in confined metal passages and rooms. Recently of course, Fox had lead her through the claustrophobic cliffs of Venom and the clouded deserts of Cerinia, but since then she'd lived entirely beneath the trees and roofs of the village. And now she had no one to accompany her…

Out there beyond the trees, the field was naked, with nothing to shield it from the empty sky and infinite abyss of stars. She knew firsthand how expansive the heavens were, and cowered at the thought of losing herself in their emptiness. She couldn't shake the feeling that whatever force kept her anchored to the ground would reverse itself without warning, and she'd be left falling into the nothingness without a roof or tree branch to catch her. Then how would she ever get back down to see Fox? Or would he safely scoop her back up in his ship?

Cautiously the vixen stepped forward, wrapping her hands around a thin trunk for support and letting herself hang out over the edge of the field. She raised her eyes skyward, gasping when she saw how high up the stars floated. Quickly she pulled herself back within the safe confines of the forest, plopping herself down at the base of the tree. Her knuckles quivered from grasping the bark so hard. Her heart drummed in her ears. She couldn't do it. She couldn't venture out there into the wide open.

Yet he was still waiting out there for her; somewhere among the tall grass. She had to go to him, but the possibility of danger held her back. Desperate now, she closed her eyes and reached out with her mind…

* * *

The wait was killing Fox. He'd sat just inside the field since sundown, waiting for any sign of Krystal on the edge of the forest. He wrung his hands in worry. Was she even coming? Had she gotten lost? _Caught?_ Or worse, talked herself out of it?

But a mind brushed against his own with feathery tendrils, alerting him to another presence.

" _Fox?"_

" _Krystal!"_ he thought back. _"You made it!"_

" _Where are you?"_

" _Near the edge of the field. I'll come get you…"_

Fox rose to a crouching position, peering left and right to make sure there were no unexpected visitors. He ducked through the grass and emerged on the other side, where he spotted a dark form sitting beneath a tree.

"Come on, let's go!" he exclaimed.

"Are you sure it's safe?"

Fox hesitated. There was fear in her voice; a clear reluctance to venture out and meet him. Maybe he was just paranoid, but he'd seen it before in someone else. Her leaving stung, and what made it worse was that he knew it was his own fault. And the last thing he wanted was to put Krystal through the same trial.

"Fox? Is it safe?" she repeated, timidly.

Their minds still overlapped from when Krystal initially reached out to him, so Fox waded in deeper to see what she was really afraid of, though he himself was scared of what he might find. Surprisingly, and to his relief, she was only afraid of the night sky! In the same way someone might be scared of the ocean, or a deep lake before diving in. She wasn't scared of him; only the unknown. But at the same time, he sensed an adventurous spirit within her just barely held back by the paralyzing fear. All she needed was a little push.

Fox left the tall grass and walked up to her, kneeling down. "Don't worry, I promise it's safe. I live out there, after all."

He could just make out the whites of her wide eyes as she gazed over his shoulder. He heard her swallow. "But, what about all those people out there? Won't they see us?"

"People?"

Fox turned and searched the area, not finding anyone. Instead there were only the bright specks of fireflies and other glowing insects peculiar to Altaira Valley. They blinked in and out, twinkling like the stars overhead, but Fox could see how they might be mistaken for torches.

"Oh, those are just fireflies," he told her. "No one's out there; all the field workers have gone into the village for the festival. No one will see us together…if that's what you're worried about."

He held out his paw. Reluctantly, Krystal stretched as far out from the tree as she could without letting go. Then she relinquished her hold and stumbled forward, taking Fox's hand. Her vice-like grip surprised him. From the way she looked up at the heavens, stars reflecting in her eyes, it was like she was afraid of floating away, but clung to Fox like an anchor. He strengthened his own hold, letting her know he wouldn't let go.

Fox carefully lead her into the field. The landscape was a mix of flatlands for crops and spacious rolling hills; all the way back to the mountains on the far side of the valley. Soft, wispy blades of grass covered the fields in front of them. At first they grew up to waist height, but some patches were so tall they stretched above their heads, completely enveloping them. The grass brushed their cheeks and tickled their arms and legs as they passed.

Eventually Fox stepped through a wall of blades into a clearing. He turned and parted the grass for Krystal. She timidly stepped from its safety, as if wary to be out in the open again. But when she looked around the landscape seemed to enchant her. The grass opened out onto a lake half the size of a Cornerian sports field. The surface lay placid, only broken by leathery green lily pads with white blooming flowers. Cattails and reeds grew in bunches at either end, obscuring where a creek trickled into the lake and subsequently exited on the opposite side. Willow trees intermittently dotted the shores, their leaves draped like hair over the water.

"Care for a walk?" Fox asked, holding an open hand out to Krystal again.

She glanced from the lake back to him and nodded, taking his paw. Intertwining their fingers, the pair of vulpines set off at a relaxed pace around the water. By now her anxiety seemed to have subsided.

They weren't exactly alone. Though Krystal confirmed there were no other Cerinians nearby, constellations of lights hovered over the grass and the lakeside. The sparks she had seen from afar were fireflies and several other insects. Hummingbird-like moths buzzed around carrying glowing bulbs from their noses – almost like hanging lanterns. Butterflies with multi-colored, phosphorescent wings flitted from flower to flower, which likewise seemed to shine with pink, blue, and golden petals of their own. Altogether they reminded Fox of a vibrantly-lit city street, with no intention of surrendering to sleep.

Hand-in-hand the foxes strolled around the edge of the lake. Neither dared speak and risk breaking the magic of the fragile moment. For a time Fox forgot he was walking on solid ground; it felt more like clouds beneath his feet, all thanks to the simple contact between their electric fingers and the gentle brushing of Krystal's mind. He relished in the fact that, for once, it was only the two of them. He felt content to soak in her simply being side-by-side with him – along with the fragrance of wildflowers and honeysuckle, and the beautiful sight of the lake.

While Krystal let her hair down from its elaborate bun, Fox finally broke the silence.

"I wanted to ask you, how's it going in the village? We've been in Altaira for some time now. You made any friends?"

Her face lit up as she grew excited. "Oh yes, several. Of course there's Māra, who's really devoted to me. We wouldn't be together now unless she kept our secret."

 _'Our secret,'_ Fox repeated in his head.

"Then there's Hana and Marika and all the other girls who share their house with me, but you haven't met them yet. They're so much fun! I don't even mind doing chores with them. And they were quick to accept me, like you were."

Fox smiled, relieved to know she was fitting in so well.

She squeezed his hand. "Aren't you lonely out here, all by yourself?"

He shrugged. "Not really; I have Itoro to talk to." He chuckled. "You know, before I left my home, I was worried I'd have to live the rest of my life with that rabbit watching over me. Uh, you know, my friend with the long ears? The one who helped us through the gate?"

Krystal nodded before he continued.

"Well, before I came and found you, he moved his fluffy cotton tail into my house to watch over me. Said I wasn't responsible enough – didn't trust me one bit on my own. Kinda ironic that I ran away just to end up living with another old geezer…though it puts into perspective how young Peppy really is in comparison. Itoro's a smart guy to talk to; he's seen a lot. But I also don't mind spending time by myself. It lets me clear my head."

"Oh? Does your head become foggy a lot?"

He scratched behind his ear. "I can act rather dense at times…"

"Well," she smiled sadly, "I hope you don't get too lonely doing it. Maybe we can clear our heads together sometime."

"Thanks. You're helping me do it right now. It's been so long since we could talk like this. Well, except for earlier today and yesterday…"

At the mention of the previous day Krystal seemed to tense up. The vixen stopped beneath a willow tree and turned to him, the leaves cascading down around them like a bower.

She took his other hand in hers and looked up at him. "Fox, there's something I've been hiding from you. I-I feel ashamed for doing it-"

He raised his eyebrows. "For doing what? What could you have possibly done against me?"

"Well…" She scuffed her heel against the ground and looked down. "Yesterday when I was out fetching water, I saw you."

"You… _saw_ me? I mean, we both ran into each other-"

"-Bathing," she finished.

He looked at her, dumbfounded, until it slowly dawned on him. "…Oh!"

Her eyes darted back up to his face to read his expression, but only for an instant before returning down.

"At first it was just an accident. I tried to look away, but I couldn't! Well, that's not true. I _could_ have turned away, but…I didn't want to, so I stayed and watched you from behind a tree."

Fox felt caught by surprise; he had no idea she was that adventurous or mischievous. So that's why she appeared so frightened when he discovered her. The little spy! …But at the same time he felt oddly flattered. How long had she secretly looked at him this way?

When their contact became too much for her, she let go of his hands to wring her own. "I knew it was wrong. You don't like it when we see each other without clothes. I should have…" She paused for a moment, looking up and to the left as she searched for the proper phrase. "I should have respected your privacy. But I didn't want to, and I gave in. I was so curious, I just wanted to know more about you."

"Krystal, don't beat yourself up over something like that. What you're feeling is…natural. It's nothing to be ashamed of!"

"But it's more than that," the vixen said while shifting on her feet. "There are so many times when I didn't understand what I was doing. Like when we first met, or when I found you in the shower, or slept in your bed that night. We were so close to…" she slapped her paws over her face. "I'm so embarrassed! I apologize for the position I put you in; I didn't know what I was doing. B-but you held yourself back. Each and every time, you wanted it; I could feel it, but you turned me down. I never understood it at the time, and I let your rejection hurt me." She looked back to him. "But you held back because you understood _I_ didn't understand…didn't you?"

Fox licked his lips. "I did," he confessed, then cleared his throat. "But I wasn't ready either. I was…scared of you. No one's ever been inside my mind before. Everyone who's seen my secrets is long gone. There were just things I held dear to myself and was afraid of letting anyone else see. I was scared to let you inside."

"I understand, Fox. I was trained for so long to do exactly that; to read people's minds. And now that I've talked with my sisters, I know better. It was just as bad as…as seeing you unclothed! I wanted you to share too much with me. I was just desperate for someone…anyone…I'm sorry for losing control like that."

She looked guiltily down, but Fox cupped her chin and gently tilted her head back up.

"Don't be. I think I was just as lonely as you. But I wanted to do things on my own like I always have when I should've just opened up. A lot has happened since then. You've saved me, and you've cared for me when I was at my lowest. If I had to trust anyone with the things inside of me…" He raised his hand to caress her cheek. "…It would be you. So, be honest and don't worry about me. Forget everything I said in protest to you before. Forget everything Namah and the elders told you. They just want to control you. What do _you_ want most?"

Krystal couldn't look away from him. Her eyes met his and seemed to swallow him whole.

"Of everything in this whole world, I want only you," she whispered. "But of you, I want your everything."

Fox raised an eyebrow. "That was…pretty. Did you hear it from somewhere?"

Krystal blushed sheepishly. "It-it's from an old Cerinian poem – a sort of song without music or melody. I didn't create it myself-"

"No-no! It's very nice. That must have taken quite a bit of work translating just for me – especially in a way that still made sense. I guess some things about life like poetry and love are constant no matter where you go in the universe. But…'everything' is a lot to handle. Are you sure you're ready to take it?"

"No," she admitted, "but I want to try."

Her arms snaked over his shoulders, and his found their way around her back. As their heads tilted closer, both vulpines closed their eyes. But the instant their lips touched, Krystal's head continued forward and passed through his like a ghost, surprising Fox. The shallows of their minds crossed, mixing together in ethereal space. It was an alien experience, as if stepping into someone else's shoes. Like what had happened in the Great Fox's corridor, they sensed what the other felt as if they'd interfaced with a second set of nerves. In this moment, Fox could feel his own neck through Krystal's fingers, as well as his strong body pressed against hers. And from the way she passionately kissed him, it felt like she was trying to devour him from the inside out.

" _I want to get closer,"_ Krystal thought without leaving Fox's lips. _"Closer than I've ever been to anyone before. Please, I want to see your all again…"_

Like they had tried earlier that day, her hands found their way to his tunic and tugged the flap open. But this time, Fox quickly answered by helping her pull the hem over his head, finally breaking their kiss. Taking things from there, he unwrapped his shendyt, letting the kilt fall at his feet. The silk loincloth soon followed, leaving him standing naked before her.

In the dark of her room, Fara's eyes poured over him. It was the first time he'd disrobed for someone, presenting his all. She soaked up his golden yellow coat, the pure white down fur that covered his front, and the tender stalk of ruby flesh, all of which glowed in the moonlight seeping in from the window. The light was bright enough to leave shadows beneath the contours of his muscles; otherwise, his solid form lay hidden beneath a soft layer of fur.

He hadn't recognized it back then, but there had been a fear in her eyes; the fennec stood much shorter than he and looked intimidated by his size. She seemed just as enamored with the passion that burned in him as she was afraid she'd lose control of it and let it consume her.

Fara closed the distance between them, but whereas he stood in the windowlight, she remained safely on the edge of the shadows. With trembling hands she reached out and grabbed his fur, rubbing the tufts between her fingers. Her digits traced the lines etched in his torso, feeling the strength concealed beneath his coat. Her cold hands pressing against his chest sent tendrils of tickling energy rushing through him.

Fox felt awkward and exposed beneath her eyes and fingers, as if she were only tolerating him as a reward for saving her life. She was trying to be brave and do everything in her power to calm the tortured soul within him. Her caresses soothed his scars. Her hot touch burned the festering from his open wounds. Her lips sucked the poison from his veins. Together the pleasures she gave kept his attention off the painful past. It was all a nurturing act; one-sided, for his benefit alone.

Yet the vixen touching him now was…different. There was a curiosity that guided her, a selfishness he'd never experienced before. He was more than just a scarred soul for her to save. His desire wasn't one-sided; her hunger for him was obvious, and he took pride in the power his body commanded over her senses. And just as her fingers explored his outer frame, her mind searched deeper within him. Every door that lay in her way he unlocked and opened for her, letting the vixen wander in and see exactly what made him tick. While his physical senses tingled beneath her touch, her soul brought memory after memory to the surface, releasing all the warmth and good feelings bottled up within. Together they witnessed memories from when he'd experienced similar intimacy; making love to Fara, dating other girls before her, watching romantic movie scenes he couldn't relate to – even just friendly contact between himself and others. It was whenever he drew closest to someone else. But Krystal's presence recontextualized each memory, as if she were helping him figure out a puzzle, placing all the pieces in their logical order; a chronology that lead straight to the moment he shared with her now.

Fox was so distracted by the internal that he almost didn't feel her fingers brush down his stomach and discover where he was most vulnerable. He felt himself wrenched from their shared thoughts as Krystal's cold paws cradled his burning embers. But her delicate fingers held him with just as careful an embrace as she had treated his memories, and Fox rewarded her with his trust. Her twinkling eyes and curious digits traced over the length of his flesh, testing the alien members which were so foreign to herself. Fox tried to control his reaction, but grimaced when he twitched, and the muscle flexed towards her.

* * *

The sudden motion scared Krystal. Her hands retreated, and her eyes grew wide. Had Fox done that on purpose?

"S-sorry, it has a mind of its own," he joked sheepishly.

Krystal bit her lip and stared intently down at him. Concentrating, she explored the network of veins and nerves branching through his flesh until she located their highest concentration. She listened closely, but could hear nothing.

"Strange, I don't sense any thoughts coming from it…but I can feel how much it aches. Or is that…" Confused, she realized the aching came from within herself just as much as it emanated from him. She placed a hand over her lap, feeling how much they mirrored one another, even with their obvious differences.

She noticed Fox swallow again; so loud she could hear it. Strange. Her simple gesture had summoned a wave of fantasies that broke over him like a dam bursting; a wave which spilled into her mind as well. She watched the fuzzy images with wonder, surprised that the star of each was her. They were visions of herself finally undressing as he had, a wealth of angles from which Fox imagined her tender body, and a series of feverish, impassioned motions shared between them. So this was the carnal dance Māra had tried so hard to describe to her without ever experiencing it herself. Her descriptions didn't do it justice; the activity seemed so much more violent than she anticipated.

But before she could clearly make them out, Fox threw himself between her and the visions, trying to dwell on anything else besides her.

Krystal felt frustrated that he still insisted on keeping secrets from her. She reached out, laying a paw on his chest.

"Don't," she breathed. "Please, don't stop. You've shielded me for so long, I don't want you to guard your thoughts around me. You're lying to yourself – lying to both of us if you continue. So, Fox McCloud, don't be afraid. What is it you wish to do with me?"

Fox's breathing became haggard. He licked his lips and struggled to begin. "Well…"

"You're still blocking them." She frowned, realizing she'd have to figure it out on her own. There had to be something she could do to make the visions return. Perhaps acting on the glimpses she'd caught so far would work.

"Here, let me help," Krystal finally blurted. She reached behind her back for the bow tying her robe in place. She struggled for a moment with the decorative purple fabric, but eventually got the knot undone. The sash fluttered to the ground, and Krystal's robe fell open in front. The garment's two halves parted like the curtains to a stage, revealing a swathe of soft, moon-colored fur. Her blossoming breasts peeked through; soft hills of white crowned in rose jewels. Then she shrugged her petite shoulders from the robe and let it fall to the grass as well, bunching around her feet. Her fingers hovered around the straps to her loincloth, but she paused. Her heart beat faster, and she looked up at Fox nervously. Sure enough, the feverish visions had returned two-fold, exciting her as much as they did him. What would happen if she took that last leap?

Working up the courage, Krystal pulled the thin undergarment down her legs, wobbling a little as she stepped out of it. The loincloth clung to her foot before she kicked it off. For a moment she guarded her nakedness with an arm over her chest and her tail wrapped around her hips.

But they grabbed her arms and pinned them back, and she was no longer able to hide herself. They lay her stretched out on a table, beneath a ceiling of bright lights and lenses that dispelled every hope of a shadow to cower behind. White-clad figures hidden behind masks and bug-like eyes bent over her. They poked and prodded her flesh with harsh, insectoid feelers; their touch cold. Insensitive. She could never see her own eyes reflecting back from their lenses; only a tuft of white fur, a claw, her mouth, the crook of an elbow – as if they had missed the forest for the trees. They acted as if she didn't exist – as if her parts didn't make her whole. She wasn't much more than a corpse or a statue – a blank canvas for their little games and tests.

She felt worthless.

Krystal looked back up at Fox with fearful eyes, afraid she'd find him peering back through a similar mask. That he'd ignore her. Wouldn't accept her. That he'd be devoid of warmth and want.

But her fears proved unfounded; he wasn't like the Watchers at all. He stood before her nearly as scared as she. Even from their current connection, as shallow as it was, she felt a heat emanating from within him; a yearning desire for her. The warmth radiated straight into her, but she had to be sure. She had to test him. So she let go.

Krystal breathed in a deep breath, chasing away the icy shards in her stomach. Slowly she released it, and in one anxious movement she unwound her bushy tail from her legs and let her arms fall to the side. She closed her eyes and swayed in place, arching her back slightly as if offering herself to Fox, trying to feel confident that he'd never betray her.

This was it. She longed for someone to return her affection after being starved of it for so long. If only he'd reciprocate. If only he'd want her as much as she wanted him, to bless her with a similarly tender touch…but it was up to him now to make the next move, and there was nothing else she could do but breathlessly wait.

* * *

Fox's heart nearly stopped beating; now it was his turn to take her in. He'd unintentionally seen her naked several times before, yet her striking effect hadn't diminished by one iota. He still found her just as captivating and radiant as when he'd first seen her floating in the cryochamber – yet now after all they'd been through together and learned along the way, there was so much more weight in revealing herself to him. Her cerulean coat shone a deeper blue than the bright night sky; Fox still had a hard time believing it was natural, even in comparison to the rest of the Cerinians. Her figure was just as lithe and sylphen as ever, only now she was much fuller. Her shoulders and arms were frail, but her breasts and hips swelled pleasingly by comparison. When he first discovered her locked away in the labs, the poor girl was worryingly skinny and weak. Now after eating solid food for a month from Fox's stores and the village's excellent cooks, her body had filled out; rounding off its sharp edges.

All the time he spent gawking at her, Krystal wavered patiently in place, trembling more the longer he did nothing. He just couldn't believe this moment was real. He'd denied himself this pleasure ever since he'd met her, but now it truly dawned on him that she was his.

Finally accepting her offering, Fox closed the gap between them and cupped Krystal's breasts in his paws. The girl released a sharp gasp and opened her eyes again, gazing down at his hands. Afraid he'd acted too swiftly, Fox made to pull back, but Krystal leaned forward to press herself into his paws, increasing their contact. She locked eyes with him, letting him know everything was alright with just one look. Fox guiltlessly unleashed his desire, letting his fingers gently squeeze and fondle the twin mounds of flesh offered him. They burned with warmth beneath his palms, feeling soft and malleable when he pressed them. Krystal giggled at his touch, as if amused by the childlike joy with which he played with her. Fox couldn't help but smile as well. His hands descended across her body, brushing her slender sides and soft underfur, trying to feel more of the warm, lively blood that pulsated beneath her skin. She laughed pleasantly at the ticklish sensation, but sucked in a breath when his fingers finally slid along her stomach and came to rest between her legs.

Before venturing further he looked up at her face. To his chagrin, she kept her expression as neutral as possible, not cluing him in either way. Her message was clear; it was up to him.

Tentatively, Fox brushed his fingers over her silky flesh. A tremor wracked through Krystal's body, her eyes snapping closed. When Fox continued his caress, she rose up onto her tip toes and leaned against him for support, clenching her legs tightly around his hand.

As Krystal's touch had done for him, Fox's unlocked a similar trove of intimate memories, though hers were much more recent. He saw himself through her eyes when he dressed her wound in the darkened halls and placed a lab coat over her shoulders. He saw himself giving her food, tasting how delicious it was through her tongue. He saw her climb into the shower after him, eager to share the warmth. How late at night she crawled into bed with him, eager to dispel her nightmares in the comfort of another. And more recently he saw her watching him bathe from afar, knowing every little place on his body her eyes lapped up-

Finally she let out a quiet gasp, and his fingers came away damp.

"Fox," she whispered into his chest, "it's not fair that only I feel this way; it's like a one-sided kiss. I-I want to make you feel good, too. I've heard of a way we can get closer. I saw us doing it in your mind for an instant; we were kissing, but…with our bodies. So…can we kiss like that? More than with just our mouths?"

The words sprang to his lips so fast they surprised even him. "Of course we can, Krystal."

Tail wagging, the vixen excitedly took his hand and pulled him towards the lake.

"Hey, wait a minute!" he objected. "You can't swim!"

Krystal pulled him a few yards out into the lake…but the water only came up to soak their ankles. She let go of his hand and turned to face him.

"Swim?" she asked.

The relevant thoughts came to Fox's mind, and her eyebrows raised. "Oh, swimming! I used to float a lot while I slept, but recently I've gone swimming with my sisters. I bet I'm pretty good at it! This…this just feels like standing, though."

He laughed. "I guess it is!"

She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned towards him. "So, would it help if you laid down, before we…kiss?"

"Um, yeah…"

Fox complied with her suggestion, lowering himself onto the lakebed. The algae-covered sediment felt soft beneath his rump and back. The water was shallow and only rose up a couple inches. At first it chilled him to the touch, but it helped to soothe his burning flesh.

Immediately when he settled in Krystal sat on his lap, straddling him. She leaned over his chest, arms planted in the water on either side, her head framed against a backdrop of stars as she looked down at him.

They were so close, but still Fox felt something holding him back; he'd never given himself to anyone other than Fara. Once consummated, could this moment with Krystal ever be undone?

He swallowed, the lump in his throat bobbing in the water. "Krystal, we don't have to do this. If you're repaying me for rescuing you, or trying to comfort me, or even because you're just curious, please, don't."

Her shimmering blue hair hung down to his face, softly tickling his nose. "Repay you? But I already have. The two of us are even. This isn't about a debt or a reward or me feeling sorry for you. It's because I trust you…and you trust me. We're intertwined like that. So, if you give everything to me, I'll give my all to you."

"Alright," he sighed. "Are you ready?"

"Mm," she hummed, smiling. Then her cheeks flushed and she looked away. "Um, you'll have to take the next step…"

Casting off the last of his doubt, Fox reached down between both of their legs, guiding himself upwards. She let him in…

* * *

…And he entered her.

Krystal involuntarily cried out as the vulpine pressed inside. His presence sent tickles of energy running through her nerves, and she arched her back in response. It awakened something within her, as if finally pulling aside the curtain and revealing a hidden realm of pleasure that had whispered to her for so long. Weeks of imprisonment with her desire for Fox only caused the final release to be that much sweeter.

She gazed down to see her ecstasy mirrored on Fox's face as well. The todd gazed up at her lovingly, a dumb smile tugging at his lips, and a slight wince over his face.

The fact that he was literally inside of her was almost too much, but she wanted more. Gingerly, as if wading inch-by-inch into a frigid pool, she lowered herself onto him, pressing his brawn deeper inside. With each jolt a wave of heat erupted within her, and she clenched her eyes shut, grinding her teeth together. Like water boiling so hot it felt cold, could one experience so much pleasure it felt like pain? She doubled-over from the sensation, nearly toppling onto Fox, but he caught her with his strong hands.

"Whoa, easy there!" he chuckled. "Here…"

The vulpine took her paws in his, offering them in support. Gratefully, Krystal intertwined their fingers and pushed herself up. Fox held her in a firm grip as she teetered on top of him.

She couldn't believe another person could make her feel so good. There was no doubt in her mind; she needed to taste it again. With Fox's help she raised up off of him, the motion creating a tingling feeling as he drew out of her like a sheath. Then, she descended once more, letting herself moan freely now. Even Fox released a halting breath this time; it wasn't like anyone else was around to hear them.

Krystal repeated the action, becoming more and more daring with each cycle. She began to accelerate until she found the perfect rhythm. Throwing her head back, she laughed jubilantly, never having felt so alive. The skyward rush of pleasure and happiness to her brain made her feel weightless. Fox lifted her up as if on a cloud, spreading his metal wings and soaring with her. The water around them perfectly mirrored the heavens; star for twinkling star, galaxy for spiraling galaxy, to the point where she couldn't tell which way was up or down – if it weren't for the increasingly violent ripples their furious dance wrought on the surface of the water.

She felt herself rising higher and higher…but then she began to sink again. Already, Krystal's legs began to tremble and tire beneath her, and her arms shook each time they pushed against Fox. She felt herself slowing down, which was the last thing she wanted. Her taste still wasn't enough, but riding him had become such a chore…

Panting breathlessly, Krystal slouched forward over Fox, and he caught her in his arms.

"I'm sorry Fox, I-"

* * *

"Hey, it's fine, Krystal. It's your first time, after all." For the moment he held her in his arms, brushing her hair to let her know it was okay. But his crown still poked between her legs, and he felt a similar throbbing inside of her. "Here," he added, "let me take over."

The stronger vulpine sat upright, getting his legs beneath him before lifting the girl from the water. He picked her up with one arm around her shoulders and another beneath her hips so that the two of them stayed blissfully linked. Krystal tightly wrapped her legs around his torso and clung to his shoulders, but she seemed to marvel at the strength in his arms and the sureness of his grasp, realizing he'd never drop her. Carefully, Fox carried her back to the edge of the lake and lay her down atop the shore so that her legs still floated in the water.

The two paused to catch their breaths for a moment. Looking down at Krystal now, Fox remembered when he first found her. She was so frail and helpless, not long rescued from the clutches of those that wished her harm. Up to the point he lifted her from that desolate planet, her life had been little more than a nightmare, only waking long enough to endure more suffering before being sedated into a deep sleep again.

Growing impatient, Krystal lifted her arms up to him, hands grasping out. A look of longing colored her eyes with anguish.

He remembered the promise he'd secretly made himself; to undo the harm done to her; to cover over the haunting memories with newer and brighter ones; to outweigh her bad experiences with a mountain of good. At the moment, he felt like the only one in Lylat – well, wherever this place was – who could do that for her. He felt frightened of messing it all up, but he had to try.

Fox finally leaned down so she could wrap her arms around his neck. They kissed again, and Fox gently sank himself into her flesh, parting her folds of petals. He mimicked Krystal's motions from earlier as if trying to spark a flame with a piece of flint. Together they caught fire, recapturing the soaring feeling from seconds ago. Fox had never seen Krystal look so happy before; tears of joy practically sprang to her eyes as she received him. It felt like every little gift he gave her, she returned to him ten-fold just from the way she smiled.

Strangely, the more they made love together, the more their minds overlapped as well. Their movements synchronized in tandem. They breathed with each other's lungs, felt with each other's fingers, beat with each other's hearts, and thought with each other's minds.

Now that he hovered over her, Fox could make out every tuft of fur in Krystal's coat. Even through their violent motions, he found himself focusing on the hyper-detailed lines of her body. The outlines of clenched tendons beneath her fur, the full curves around her dancing breasts, the dimples in her stomach, and the V-shape that converged between her legs. They were the lines that defined her; that told him from a glance who and what she was.

While the todd repeatedly plunged for her core, Krystal's hands likewise wracked desperately over his chest, tracing the hard-set lines between his pecs and the taught tendons of his straining muscles. They were solid and physical; harsh and impenetrable. They bound him together and separated her from him; they were the lines that kept him, Fox, and her, Krystal.

Yet with each dive Fox took into her, sinking deeper and deeper, the lines between her and him seemed to cave. How difficult it suddenly was to separate the todd's senses from her own. It was as if she were looking down upon herself through his eyes, seeing her the same way Fox saw her, feeling the same things he felt inside of her. Did she really look like this to him? All she saw was a frail, helpless science experiment, her efforts to present herself as a properly-groomed Cerinian stripped away, leaving nothing but a mess of a vixen flustered with heat and quavering from pleasure. Yet through his eyes she seemed like so much more. Did he really care this much about someone he had only just met?

As Fox looked own on her he focused on her tattoos, remembering again where they came from and what they symbolized; he'd seen them before but had since forgotten their significance. The 28 marked plainly on her thigh like a cattle's brand. The bar codes on her thin arms as if she were merely a product. The harsh, Venomian words little more than notes jotted on her sides like a margin.

Frowning at the markings, Fox brushed his fingers through her fur, spreading apart the individual hairs to find the skin underneath. To his surprise, he uncovered scar after scar lying just beneath the surface. He tenderly traced the lines, in awe at the scale of everything she endured. He wondered where they had come from, and in the process he discovered a wealth of memories that weren't his own. Instead of his own mind he retraced the neurons in Krystal's, triggering a rush of flashbacks that rose to the surface. They were disturbing visions of white-clad scientists – the "watchers", as she called them – operating on her with glimmering silver instruments. When he found the laceration scars around her neck, her memories painted vivid pictures of the electric shock collars meant to goad her into using her powers. And in the crooks of her arms, a thousand dark points where memories of needles relentlessly continued to prick – even to this moment. Fox could only feel mere shadows of the fear and pain she experienced at the time.

Krystal's eyes widened; her roving hands having discovered similar marks on Fox's chest and abdomen. They were scars left over from his time as a mercenary. Curiously, she traced the jagged lines beneath his fur, following the path a shard of shrapnel had cut through him, or a laser blast had burned, or where a piece of equipment had accidentally lodged. Each new scar she touched unlocked a memory of Fox's, allowing her to feel just how close he thought he was to death in each instant; the horizon spinning as his ship spiraled downwards, shadowed machines raining blinding flashes of light towards him, the explosions bursting outside his canopy, momentarily painting his world in white…

Fox felt scared now. He hadn't intended to shoulder the burden of so many horrors and so much pain. The crimes enacted on her loomed over him like a planet, their crushing force bearing down on him as well now. How could he ever hope to carry this when he himself sought respite?

Krystal trembled at what she saw in his past. His life was a series of dangerous flights in a flimsy craft thousands of feet in the air, confronting monster after horrid monster and besting each one. What kind of man could do this? What creature could possibly go up against so many abominations and live? The same man she was sharing her very being with now? The one inside her!?

Fox realized that Krystal had seen it all; every mission he'd flown, every hellspawn he'd put out of its misery, every enemy he'd killed, and every wound he'd received in reward. He wanted to hide it all from her; it wasn't hers to see, nor her burden to bear. It was _his_. He couldn't possibly let her take on his scars as well; not when she already carried so much.

She felt him moving inside her, everything of hers laid bare for him to see. All of her failures to grow and learn, the constant punishments she'd received, the imperfections the Watchers had to burn away and excise from her flesh. She couldn't stop it; they weren't her memories now, they were _his_ as well. He knew everything about her, had seen every weakness and fault, had touched every refuge and hiding place she kept dear to her heart. Yet still she wrapped her legs around him, unable to control the heavy gasps she released into his ear, begging for more.

Her hot breath washed over the side of his face, her whispers tender in his ear. He felt like he was melting into her; the vixen's soft, blue fur blending with his till it became a mix of ruddy purple. Their flesh fused together, conjoining loosely at the base of their abdomens like putty. His hands sank into her chest, and hers into his neck. The lines between them faded, bent, and re-fused together, until they formed a new, single shape.

Every second they continued their lovemaking, she felt herself slipping away, until she was nearly indistinguishable from Fox. There was nothing left to divide them. Nothing left to keep them apart. They were becoming one mind and one body, approaching singularity at the same time the fire in their bodies neared its peak.

He suddenly felt anxious.

She didn't feel right at all.

Where had he gone to?

Where had she gone?

Something's wrong.

This has to stop.

Before we

completely

lose

who

we

are-

* * *

With the last shred of his identity remaining, Fox yelled and pulled himself out. He collapsed onto Krystal's body, lying atop her as they climaxed together, but…apart. Fox's length was trapped between their bodies as it throbbed its last onto the vixen's stomach. They lay together, panting in tandem as their pulses subsided and their frenzied embers finished sublimating their heat.

Gasping as if he'd just woken from a nightmare, Fox patted himself down, making sure he was still there and still…well, _Fox_. Thankfully he was once again back in his own flesh, with only his own nerves to feel Krystal's body pressing against him, and only his own words echoing in his mind.

Eventually the girl seemed to wake from her stupor. She looked up at Fox with a new fear in her eyes, as if he were an entirely different person. She squirmed beneath him until he rolled off, releasing her. She scampered away on all fours, legs trembling and barely able to support her frame. When she was a few yards away they gave out, and she sank to her stomach. Now that she was a safe distance away, she rolled onto her side and faced him warily.

Tired from his workout, Fox hoisted himself back onshore and collapsed, though he covered his dripping members in embarrassment. He studied Krystal across the grass, lying in the shadows of the willow tree. Something about her seemed…off, yet eerily familiar. The way she lay naked in the grass, her mouth hung open and panting for breath, the fear and distrust in her aqua-colored irises…

She looked exactly like the feral girl he'd saved so many weeks ago.

"I'm sorry," he blurted, feeling like he had to apologize. "I-I didn't know any of that was going to happen. It never has before!"

But the blue-furred vixen merely stared at him, as if she couldn't hear his words.

Fox's brow narrowed. "Are you alright? Krystal?"

Her ears perked in recognition of her name, but the rest of his words seemed almost alien to her.

He closed his mouth and concentrated his thoughts. _"Krystal, can you hear me?"_

He waited, but received nothing in reply. No matter how hard he focused, he couldn't hear her thoughts; and from the furrow in her brow, she was trying, too. It was almost as if a wall had been placed between them – or more appropriately _re_ placed.

"Can you talk to me?" he asked worriedly.

A determined look came over the girl's face. She opened her mouth.

"Tashich nīe verkaru siekim-"

She cut herself off, realizing she'd accidentally switched to Venomian.

"Mihi, ahau kāo mea i-" But she caught herself again, eyes widening and raising a hand to her mouth. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed she couldn't speak Cornerian.

What had gone wrong? Fox took a step towards her, but she drew back in fright. He halted, then approached her at a slower pace. It was like having to rebuild her trust in him all over again. Her chest heaved as her lungs expanded and contracted faster the closer he drew, but this time she didn't back away. He stopped an arm's length from her and held out his hand. He knew she wouldn't understand him, but he spoke anyway just to fill the tense silence.

"Again, I'm sorry. I know you weren't ready to share those things with me, or see so much of me…guess you got more than you bargained for, huh?"

She glanced down at his open paw, but made no other motion.

"Come on Krystal. Let's…wash off."

The sound of her name seemed to get through to her again, and she tentatively accepted his hand. When he drew her back towards the lake, her eyes widened and she looked at him questioningly, as if worried he intended to resume their activities. Realizing what she must have been thinking, Fox shook his head emphatically. Instead he lead her past the shallows and closer to the center of the lake, where the water came up to their thighs. He let go of her hand and began bathing himself. Consciously mimicking him, Krystal started washing the results of their love making from her coat as well.

Fox watched her from the corner of his eye as they bathed, lost in thought. What had happened to the connection they shared? He'd grown so used to hearing Krystal's inner voice it felt like he'd gone deaf or she'd gone mute now that it was taken away. Why couldn't she reach his thoughts? Why had she forgotten Cornerian all of the sudden? Did she have amnesia? Had she forgotten everything that had happened between them since they met? But a second possibility gripped him, more horrible than the first. Maybe she had shut him out on purpose, rejecting his memories and deciding she didn't trust him with her own.

So she wasn't ready after all. He felt betrayed. But at the same time, _he_ was the one who had pulled out in the physical sense…

Releasing a forlorn breath, Fox bent over and splashed water onto his face, but heard a sharp cry from Krystal. He looked up, realizing from the way she defensively stood that he had splashed her on accident.

"Oh…sorry," he said at first, but there was something comical about the way she had flinched. Hating himself a little, but wanting to have some fun, he dipped his hand into the lake and flipped it up at her, sending a spray of droplets in her direction.

Krystal yelped and turned to the side, wrapping her arms around her torso to shield herself from the cool drops. "Yamalt!" she exclaimed, but Fox merely cackled and splashed her again. He'd forgotten how cute she looked when she was angry – which she certainly was now. In retaliation, she scooped up two handfuls from the lake and flung them against his face.

Fox wiped the water from his muzzle and eyes. "So, it's war then?" He struck the surface of the lake diagonally with his arm and sent up a wall of water at the vixen, who turned just in time before it crashed over her front. She gasped incredulously, then waded closer to Fox, striking the water over and over to cover her approach.

Fox laughed even harder, though Krystal's relentless assault put him on the defensive. He held a hand up to cover his eyes, peeking beneath it to watch her approach, but it was too late. She was already upon him, and before he knew it two paws shoved against his chest and tipped him backwards into the water. Fox went under like a sack of bricks, crying out before water filled his mouth. As soon as his back struck the lakebed and he remembered which way was up, he launched himself back out. He broke the surface and spat out a mouthful, coughing. He parted the mop of hair from his eyes and glared at Krystal mischievously. She _had_ been laughing after her momentary victory, but her expression changed to one of fear when she saw the gleam in his eyes.

"Oh I'll get you for that!" he threatened, sloshing through the water towards her.

Krystal shrieked and waded in the opposite direction, out towards the deeper part of the lake.

"Hey, come here, you!" Fox growled. "It's just a little water!"

But Krystal dove into the lake and kicked her legs to propel herself beneath the surface. Undaunted, Fox took a deep breath and plunged in after her. With bubbles rising all around him, he opened his eyes to the crystal-clear vista. It was dark underwater, but the blue starlight illuminated Krystal's waving fur a few yards away. She pumped her legs and swung her arms, appearing like a ghostly nymph in the dim lighting. Fox kicked his own legs and swam after her, the algae on the bottom tickling his stomach. He was still the more experienced swimmer, so he caught up to her in a few seconds and snatched her by the ankle.

Taken by surprise, Krystal released a mouthful of bubbles towards the surface and kicked her feet, but Fox wouldn't let go. They surfaced together, crying out and giggling before Krystal broke free and pulled herself onto the shore. Fox dove for the bank, but she disappeared into the wall of tall grass before he could reach her, sprinting as water dripped from her fur.

Realizing the chase was far from over, Fox climbed from the lake and took off after her. He could hear her yipping and laughing between breaths ahead of him, but except for the trail of parted grass he couldn't see much of her. Sometimes he'd catch a glimpse of her fluffy, snow-tipped tail, but it would just as quickly whip away again, teasing him like a carrot on a stick.

Fox felt the ground sloping upwards. After a few minutes on the chase he broke from the other side of the grass field to discover a steep hillside in front of him, which Krystal's blue form was already climbing. Metaphorically rolling up his sleeves – which he still lacked – he raced up the hillside after her. At the top Krystal turned around to see his progress, eyes widening when she saw how close he was. She tried to run faster but stumbled, and Fox seized the opportunity to fly forward and tackle her to the ground.

Together they rolled around on the top of the hill, the vixen playfully twisting around in his arms and swatting his face with her damp tail. Then the two came to a stop, panting once again from exertion. Krystal ended up lying atop him, pressing her cheek against his and gazing with him over the fields below, seeing how far they'd come together. The lightning bugs in the sea of grass and the lights of the far away village blinked like constellations of stars.

Exhaustion caught up with them now; all of their energy spent on a full day of festivities, passionate love-making, and a playful chase through the countryside. They were too tired to move, and the prospect of returning to the lake, gathering their clothes, and sneaking back into their respective homes proved too daunting. As Krystal settled comfortably into his chest, it was clear they would be spending the night together on this very spot.

Fox wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her tight. He couldn't believe they were still together after all this; there were so many events that could have gone wrong and separated them, so many trials and near brushes with death. Back when he found an alien vixen in a laboratory beneath fathoms of ash and rubble, he never would have believed in a million years they would have ended up like this. A mercenary fallen from grace, discovering a tortured soul in the darkest of places, now lying safely together on a forbidden planet. Yet against astronomical odds she was here in his arms.

Krystal murred softly against his shoulder, speaking her first words in quite some time.

"Thank you, Fox. You helped me find my home."

But inside he still couldn't hear her voice.

* * *

procedure 04: l. mb. c


	27. Cold Reading

X

Mission No. 27

Corneria  
CDF Headquarters

Cold Reading

X

Pepper sat in the top floor of the Spire – the nickname for the Cornerian Defense Force HQ. The shining building towered above a sprawling complex of spacecraft hangars, training grounds, and munitions depots; all nestled between verdant mountain ranges that dominated the island. The curved glass window behind Pepper's desk looked out over Corneria City harbor, where an array of watercraft and space cruisers docked. Not so long ago columns of black smoke and fallen buildings marred the city's skyline, but the reconstruction effort returned her back to the pristine jewel she was before war broke out.

Pepper decorated his personal office in memorabilia from his time spent in service, though he had to split the items between the Spire and his home. Photographs lined the walls, summarizing his military career; his graduating class from the flight academy, his completion of officers school, the first battlecruiser under his command, a candid shot of the hound stepping down the gangplank to Fortunan soil – the pictures went on, documenting his swift rise through the ranks till he found himself today, at age 45, Chief of Staff of the Cornerian Defense Force.

He sat with steepled hands at his polished wood desk, looking out over the bare floor in the middle of the office. Leather-backed chairs formed an arc in front of him, with his desk completing the circle. Upon them sat the phantasmal holograms of five figures; Yaru de Pon and Edison Phoenix, joint CEOs of General Dynamics, Corneria's largest technology and arms supplier; Beltino Toad, given charge of the Venomian Containment and Reclamation Program, and several other officials whose presence Pepper only barely tolerated.

A notification chimed, and a sixth hologram filled one of the empty seats. The pinpoints of light arranged themselves into the image of Dr. Marjorie Makepeace, transmitting all the way from Cerinia 10 lightyears away, though her signal took a shortcut through a thin slit in spacetime thanks to Beltino's Gate. Stuck pixels hovered stubbornly in place, and large portions of her sparkling effigy lagged behind the rest whenever she moved, which proved most unsettling. Sometimes she froze in place while a message read, "Visual Signal Lost."

Pepper cleared his throat, summoning their eyes and ears. "Since we are all present, today's council for Project Guiding Light is now in session."

De Pon, the brown-furred tanooki appeared miffed. "But we are _not_ all present. On behalf of Mr. Fredersen, I protest. Guiding Light was his vision; why disinvite him?"

"I must also object to his exclusion," Makepeace's voice echoed, her signal weak and crackly.

Pepper glanced at Edison and Beltino as well, but neither cared or dared to voice their opinion at the moment. It was hard to tell among the flashing, cube-shaped pixels, but the fennec almost looked pleased.

"The Project may have been his idea, but it has grown larger than him or any one of us in this room. But, as chairman of the council, the final decision is mine." The hound shifted uncomfortably, recalling his last run in with the banker. "Fredersen has…forgotten that fact, to put it simply. He's letting his ambition run away with him."

"But Fredersen is the Project's financier!" de Pon continued. "And we are the chief architects! Guiding Light won't proceed without either of us if you continue to treat the members of the council this way."

"Fredersen's money comes from the people and corporations of Corneria; he is beholden to the public just as we in the military are to the people's representative government. May I remind you that you are the salesmen here, and your task is to convince the government this Project is a worthwhile venture? It can't proceed without the current administration's approval."

De Pon crossed his arms. "Very well, but let the records show our objection."

"This is a secret meeting," Edison Phoenix chastised him, grinning. "No minutes are kept and all traces are wiped from the system."

"Well, at least you all are witnesses."

Pepper grew impatient. "Let's get down to the order of the day. The search for Cerinian 28 has gone poorly. In light of these circumstances, I wanted to confirm that the Project can move forward with or without this particular subject."

Edison's ears perked. "I was under the impression we wouldn't be using a living subject – that's the only reason I agreed to continue diverting company resources to the Project."

"To answer the general's question, no, it is not necessary."

All heads turned. The haggard voice belonged to a lanky, long-faced baboon with a stooped back.

"It would be much safer to use a natural power source. Cerinians were only ever experimental in nature; a mere rung in the ladder of a much larger program. Nothing else was simply available at the time, but now that Lylat is yours, they are superfluous, and more importantly, dangerous."

Edison spoke next, warily. "I'm loath to agree with Liebgute, but I've always objected to using Cerinians. I think we should dispense with the Cerinia Project, rehabilitate the subjects, and focus all our efforts on the new source."

"But they _can't_ be rehabilitated," de Pon countered. "They were bred for one purpose only. It's in their DNA."

Pepper noticed Makepeace glaring at the Venomian scientist, who in turn averted his gaze from her. "Thoughts, Doctor?" he asked.

The vixen looked his way. "The new source is even more experimental than the Cerinians, who are proven to function safely in Andross's latest iteration. Moreover, the power contained within them is several orders greater than the source you are considering settling for."

Edison's brows raised. "More powerful than Lylat _itself?"_

"Potentially limitless."

A silence fell over the council. _Limitless,_ Pepper thought in awe. Looking around the room, Edison showed a good deal of concern while Liebgute practically squirmed in his seat. Beltino's typical curiosity had peaked, while Makepeace and de Pon's faces looked smug in the revelation.

"Well Doctor, is there another Cerinian besides our escapee with this power?"

She shook her head. "No. No one has come as far as Subject 28 has. We'd have to choose another Cerinian from our dwindling pool and intensify their treatment. The process would take years. The original methods Andross used were cruel, but they achieved results. We'd never repeat those procedures, but finding alternatives is costly and time-consuming. It would be best for us to find 28 and capitalize off of what Andross started. After all, she's come this far, and we can't change what happened to her. I say we turn it around for something good."

"Be honest with me, Makepeace. Do you think it's reasonable to assume you'll even find her at this point?"

She bowed her head, still smiling. "I assure you, General, I am confident we will locate and recapture her."

"How can you be sure the Cerinian is still alive?"

"We have every reason to believe she is. Subject 19 has heard whispers, no matter how quiet. 28 is the most powerful of the Cerinians and can easily protect herself. What's more she has Lylat's greatest hero to guide her."

Pepper cracked his knuckles, glaring at a now empty space between the other photos on his cabinet. " _Former_ hero. If you had properly treated him after Venom fell we wouldn't be in this predicament."

"As his therapist I could only listen to his woes and prescribe him medication. I can't force him to swallow, nor to listen. No one could have predicted he'd fly to Venom and kidnap our most valuable research subject."

Beltino wrung his hands nervously. No one had directly stated it, but he was responsible for the warm welcome Fox received in Venom's labs – a hospitality which he abused.

Deciding not to pursue the subject further, the hound pivoted. "What measures has Bill taken since I last checked in?"

Makepeace's face twitched nervously. "He's…taken the Justice down to cruising altitude."

Pepper whistled. "Daring, I'll give the boy that. Just what Fox would have done if their positions were reversed. But equally dangerous. I assume it increases the likelihood of finding 28?"

She tilted her head back and forth. "Yes and no. While 19 will have an easier time sensing her, and the ship's instruments have a better chance of picking up Fox's arwing, it runs the risk of another Cerinian spotting our ship and attacking."

The hound shrugged. "A risk, but a calculated one."

The doctor seemed worried. "Pepper, if Bill doesn't return, I won't either, and the Project will be set back even further. The entire ship is at risk. I'd like to minimize the time we spend close to the surface."

Pepper frowned. "Well, what can the CDF do for you? Besides endangering more troops on this gamble of yours."

"Have you located Andross's shuttle yet?"

Pepper looked at de Pon, who answered. "We think we've found a lead, but there seems to be a mix-up in the system. These serial numbers _are_ from over a decade ago. However, I am confident we'll have the information for you within a week."

Edison's eyes narrowed. "If you do find this girl and end up using her, I won't stand for it. I'll resign from my position on the council and cut off support for Guiding Light. These girls need to be released and rehabilitated."

De Pon grit his teeth, looking like he wanted to hiss at the fennec. "You can't back out now, Edison; both of us sunk too many resources into this. And I hope that word about supposed "ethical ramifications" of the project doesn't mysteriously leak out, or someone will face a very _unpleasant_ criminal court."

"The mere fact that you're worried about going public with the project's details should trouble you. Imagine if the details _did_ leak out. Imagine if we came right out and _told_ Lylat what we were attempting to do. Even if it was for their ultimate benefit, just pull aside any random citizen on the street and ask them, would they want their problems fixed if it meant an innocent girl had to suffer for it? I guarantee you none of them would!"

"None of them alone would, I concede. But together, for the benefit of all, it is worth it!" De Pon looked like he wanted to argue the matter further, but he glanced back at the general and realized the theatrical scene he was making. On a dime he pivoted and changed his tone. "But we'll discuss this further in private, if you wish."

Pepper raised his eyebrows at the two, but decided to dismiss the exchange. "Is there anything else I should be aware of?" When no one spoke he concluded, "In that case, meeting adjourned."

One by one the council members nodded in respect and left, their holograms winking out. But de Pon remained behind.

"Well, things got a little… _heated_ there. I'm sorry for arguing with you, Pepper. It's nothing personal, and I have no hard feelings towards you. Perhaps we could patch things up at my house party tonight. I trust you can still make it?" he asked. "Once again, it's no particular occasion, just a chance to distract ourselves from the woes of the world, if for but a night."

Pepper mulled over the invitation he'd received earlier. "I'm…considering it. Will Fredersen be there?"

The tanooki couldn't help but grin knowingly. "No, he won't be attending. I did invite him, but he said he had some "urgent business" to see to. Said he needed to collect an old debt."

The hound scratched his chin for a few seconds, tempted by the thought of socializing with friends and dining on exotic food. "Alright, I need to get out of the office anyway. I'll see you there."

X

That evening Pepper had his chauffeur drive him out to de Pon's estate. The traffic through Corneria City was heavy as always; through the brightly lit skyscrapers he caught glimpses of large crowds continuing to flood the streets, demanding the payout of their war bonuses. Even after a month the demonstrations showed no sign of ending, with President Finley's policies doing little in the short term to soothe their indignation. Some of the protesters brandished signs with his own portrait emblazoned on the front; gold-furred and red-suited. Pepper had always championed their cause, during the war and after. He felt guilty retreating to a party, but even he deserved a reprieve after a month of constant work.

Once they escaped the city traffic lessened. The chauffeur drove on a small road through the picturesque countryside surrounding the planet's capital; miles of green fields, placid lakes, and wooded forests untouched by urban development, except for the infrequent estate of a wealthy businessman or entrepreneur. Barring a few freak accidents, the countryside had escaped the brunt of Venom's wrath upon the capital.

A few minutes later they pulled onto a private driveway that lead up a hill to de Pon's mansion. The architecture borrowed from the classical revival era; marble columns with spiraling volutes held up a large triangular pediment on the front of the house, with a rigidly symmetrical façade. It hearkened back to days in antiquity when modern Cornerian ideals like autonomous freedom and democracy were born, while the solid masonry exuded the power necessary to keep those ideals a reality. One would have a hard time reconciling the house with the tanooki's line of work: weapon development.

A butler welcomed Pepper at the door, taking his hat and coat and ushering him inside. They passed through an extravagant foyer with twin curved staircases to the ballroom where most of the guests gathered. His footsteps echoed over the polished floor, in which reflected the lights from sparkling chandeliers and candelabras. Tall windows that stretched to the distant ceiling lined the back wall, opening out onto acres of unspoiled countryside fields, now darkened by nighttime shadows. Overall de Pon's mansion seemed excessive to Pepper, and he felt quite comfortable in his comparatively meager residence in the heart of Corneria's National Mall. But there was something alluring about its rural locale and remoteness. Maybe when he retired…

When he arrived the party was already well underway. Corneria's affluent mingled around the ballroom, dressed in sharp suits or fashionable gowns. The general never found his choice of apparel too difficult; he merely wore his crimson dress uniform which always commanded the power to turn eyes. He noticed several other high-ranking officers scattered about the room, and recognized a few of the planet's elite families; the CEO of a manufacturer for hoverpads, a representative of the System's largest steal manufacturer, and the vice president of a mining operation in Meteo, to name a few. They stood around conversing over more pleasant matters than business and the state of Lylat, sipping drinks, sampling hors d'oeuvres, or slowly dancing to the classical music performed by a live orchestra.

"Ah, General!"

Pepper turned to see de Pon's smiling face approaching him, this time in the flesh and not through the filter of a hologram. The brown-furred tanooki was dressed in a grey, pin-striped suit.

"I'm delighted you could come!" He glanced around Pepper before adding, "I take it the wife couldn't make it?"

The canid sighed. "No, Celia's still on the western coast campaigning for the military widows pension."

"Oh? Well, what a shame she couldn't make it. Please give her my regards when you see her next." He placed a hand on Pepper's shoulder and gestured towards the crowd. "Won't you come this way? I have some new friends I'd like you to meet. They're quite the interesting couple!"

The hound obliged, following Yaru to a refreshments table. He introduced him to a pair of husband and wife otters who jointly founded a social media company in Tetracon Vale, which Pepper found difficult to care about. Still, while the tanooki and social media moguls continued to share their experiences, the general amused himself with the whimsical snacks and bustling atmosphere of the party.

By the time he tuned back into their conversation, Yaru was gushing to the otters about a trip he took during the past month.

"For my birthday I made a pilgrimage to Fortuna, and I am very pleased with my experience! It's such a wild, untamed planet, and the beautiful gardens and ancient shrines are sights to behold. I tried bekhabar meditation for a week, completely cutting myself off from the world-web, but still keeping my smart watch and pace tracker to log my heart rate each night. For several days I kept completely silent, meditating on the floors of caves, depriving myself of reading and writing, music, and meat. I didn't even make eye-contact with the monks! It helped me understand myself, hacking into the deepest layer of my mind and reprogramming it to a point where I didn't seek pleasure or care to avoid pain. Then we handed out shoes to the devotees of the monasteries. You should never lose the experience of giving back to people on a personal level! It's always something people like us lose sight of."

While the couple wholeheartedly agreed, Pepper inwardly rolled his eyes. It was hard to believe that earlier de Pon had argued with a Cornerian general, threatened a powerful CEO, discussed using a mere child as an experimental energy source, and helped plan the foundation of the entire System's future. Nor was the fact lost on him that Fortuna was waging a war that bordered on genocide against certain subgroups of the planet, all while under Cornerian occupation. But then again, he was just as complicit. At least he didn't lecture others about finding inner peace or whatever bullshit he was raving about…

But the tanooki seemed to notice Pepper's silent ambivalence. A Doberman butler arrived, presenting him with a corked, green glass bottle. De Pon took it from him and offered it to Pepper. "You seem rather distracted, General. Why not treat yourself? It's a good year from my own personal cellar. You're not on duty, are you?"

Pepper eyed the bottle and the dark sloshing liquid within. His mouth suddenly felt dry with thirst. "De Pon, the General of the Defense Force is _always_ on duty, and always in need of a glass of wine!"

The tanooki grinned and uncorked the bottle with some difficulty. He took a glass from the table behind him and tipped the neck into it with a ring-clad finger. The canid accepted the glass, sloshing the wine around to admire its thick texture and blood-red hue; so dark it almost seemed purple. De Pon poured more glasses for himself and the otters, and together they toasted.

Pepper tilted the liquid down his throat, drinking deeply. He thought the taste quite admirable, full-bodied and sweet at first, but with a lingering briny aftertaste. He smacked his jowls, getting a feel for the disappearing flavor before chasing it down with the rest of the glass. Quite delicious, but at the same time…odd. There was a taste he couldn't identify.

For a surprising second it felt like a trapdoor opened in his gut and his stomached plunged down into nothingness. He began to feel lightheaded and quickly placed his glass on the table.

"Anything wrong, General?"

Yaru's voice sounded distant and muffled. He looked back up, but saw doubles of each figure standing next to him. The tanooki's deep black eyes and mask-like facial fur unsettled him.

"Yes, I'm fine," he assured them. "Just felt a little lightheaded for a second. It's been a long and grueling day at HQ."

"Maybe you should have eaten more," the wife suggested.

"A good idea in hindsight!" he nervously laughed.

Then the cacophony of voices and orchestral music began to blur together, as if fading into the background. Above all the noise he heard a passage of youthful laughter, so stark and clear he could make out each note. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. He turned left and right, peering between the bodies in the crowd. They seemed to accelerate, whizzing by in front of him, the glints in the women's gold jewelry and gem-studded gowns leaving afterimage trails of light. They became little more than faceless vestiges of dark shadows and bright beacons dancing around him.

The giggling laughter sounded again, and Pepper's eyes alighted on the one figure who seemed to exist on the same plane of limbo as he; a young vixen in a purple-colored gown. Most striking about her, however, was her deep blue fur. While the guests blurred together and spun faster than the eye could follow, she stayed constant and still, the only one with actual definition to her features. Her mouth remained closed and her lips didn't move as she smiled mischievously at him, yet he could still hear the echo of her laughter somehow.

With a swish of her blue tail and violet gown, she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"Excuse me for a moment," Pepper said aloud, but he could barely hear the sound of his own voice, and he wasn't sure the tendrils of sound that came in response were Yaru and the others saying goodbye. He left the table, forging ahead in the crowd that seemed to part for him like the sea itself. Every few seconds a gap between the dancers would open, and he'd see the small vixen grinning back at him. But only for a moment, as the bodies wove back together to hide her, and when he arrived at her last location she had vanished…only to reappear a few yards further away.

Pepper felt himself inextricably drawn to the woman, as if she were the only one in the ballroom who was real. She was youthful and beautiful, yet mysterious and taunting. He had to know who she was and where she came from; her name, her family, her home, and especially when he could see her again.

She lead him on like this for some time, with Pepper losing sight of the vixen only to catch another glimpse of her gay smile, leading him on when the crowd parted again. It frustrated him like trying to reach someone or someplace in a dream, but the goal was always just out of range, the posts imperceptibly shifting further away.

Eventually he reached the end of the ballroom, where a hallway lead to a flight of stairs. He walked to the foot of the staircase, looking up to see the vixen lifting the hem of her gown just as she reached the top step. She turned back to look at him, her glowing eyes piercing through the shadows. Then she turned and disappeared once more.

Breathing heavily, Pepper climbed the staircase and glanced around the hall of de Pon's upstairs quarters. The golden light from the ballroom below completely faded before the top step, and only dim candelabras illuminated the hall. But he was just in time to spot the girl's azure tail flicking into a private room.

His feet lead him across the carpeted floor and into the guest room. Inside the linen curtains were already drawn; a mahogany wood dresser sat against the wall, and a bed with a red velvet quilt lay beside it. Now there was nowhere to run – nowhere to vanish off to. The mysterious blue-furred woman turned to face him, looking up at him with a hunger in her eyes. Her foreign-sounding voice echoed in his mind even without her speaking. Somehow he could _feel_ the desire she had for him, a sensation which stirred his own blood up into a frenzy.

At this point he was only conscious of a few things. That he was tired, weary, and frustrated. That she was young, full of the energy he lacked, and very beautiful.

And that they were alone.

Pepper was too captivated by the Cerinian slipping the straps from her shoulders and letting her gown fall away to notice the door closing shut behind him.

X

Slippy hopped back and forth between a dozen windows on his monitor, simultaneously keeping track of each one; a trouble-shooting article, several video tutorials, a command line window, multiple files of code, and a compiler – in addition to his social media pages and a playlist of his favorite video game tunes. At the moment he was flipping back and forth between the tutorials and a particularly troublesome page of code that refused to compile, all while nodding his head in time with the music. The crowded desktop was his own chapel of stained-glass windows; the video game soundtrack, ancient hymns from his childhood; a mug of cold coffee, his sacrament. And at this point it occurred to Slippy his desperate attempt to make his work seem any more interesting was failing. So much for soaring over waves of information databases like a spacefighter.

The frog had only been employed in the Cornerian Security Agency division of Dawson McLean for three days now, yet he'd made much progress detecting security vulnerabilities and grown accustomed to the company's atmosphere. Like many groups based out of the sun-soaked Cornerian west coast, Dawson McLean had an easy-going feel about the place; odd considering the gravity of their work. While Slippy mostly kept to himself – his main quirk being more skilled with machines and software than people – his co-workers in the department were friendly enough. But already he missed the close camaraderie he had with Fox, Peppy, and even Falco.

He glanced at the clock in the bottom corner of the screen. _11:48._ This was the time his supervisor tended to check in with him on his progress. He looked around at his fellows' workstations, but oddly found them all empty, their swivel chairs still spinning from when they had recently left.

Confused, Slippy removed his earbuds to hear the sound of laughter and gasps of disbelief. Turning, he found his coworkers gathered around a single desk, staring at the monitor. Curious, he got up and waddled over. He stood on tip-toes and leaned side-to-side to get a look between the small crowd.

The desk belonged to the raccoon surveillance specialist – Harry, he believed his name was. He sat with his paws over his face, peering between his digits at the screen. "Oh no…" he groaned.

The monitor displayed a fuzzy, warped camera of someone's bedroom. Slippy narrowed his eyes at the screen to make out what was going on, horrified when he realized a couple were going at it on the bed.

"Come on Harry," one of his coworkers teased, "you know better than to use office computers for porn."

"How are you getting this?" a woman asked, morbidly curious.

The raccoon waved his mouse around the program. "It's the camera on the holovision. As far as they know, the HV's off."

The woman stood back and crossed her arms. "Well remind me to put sticky notes over all my devices. You creeps!"

"She's right Harry. If a husband wants to plow his wife in the privacy of their own bedroom, that's none of our concern."

"But he's _not_ her husband," Harry groaned.

"What!?"

The raccoon covered his eyes back up. "She's my neighbor. Her actual husband is away on a business trip. I have no idea who the other dog is."

Harry's revelation was followed by a bout of raucous laughter from the gathered audience.

"Wait! They're changing positions. See if you can tap that laptop over there!"

Looking uncomfortable, Harry navigated through the woman's network and found the laptop. Entering a few commands, the monitor switched to a feed much closer to the couple. A few of the onlookers cheered and clapped Harry's back.

Grimacing at the obscene display, Slippy slunk back to his desk and resumed his work.

"Alright, what's going on here?"

He looked over his shoulder to see that their supervisor, Slint Owens, had finally arrived on the scene.

"Melvin, if you're showing another fail compilation during work hours-"

"N-no sir! Nothing like that. In my routine system check, I just happened to come across some, er…abnormal activity."

The stoat supervisor put on his glasses and glared at the screen.

"HA! Does it have sound?"

Harry seemed surprised, but scrambled to remotely activate the laptop microphone anyway. Slippy blushed when he heard the canids' primal grunts and yips, trying to keep his focus on his work.

Slint stood back and scratched his chin at the scene. Summarizing from the photographs on the dresser that the male was not in fact her husband, he asked, "Well, are either of them noteworthy individuals?"

"No sir, just a neighbor of mine."

"Then we have no business peering into their _…personal_ affairs." He snapped his fingers. "Alright, back to work everyone!"

While the IT specialists retreated to their stations, Slint stepped over to Slippy's desk. "How is our new information security analyst coming along? How's your third day on the job?"

Slippy tabbed away from his current project to a report he had begun filling out in the background. "Well sir, I think I found a security exploit. It's not even limited to our systems – it seems to affect the majority of modern processors."

Slint's eyes widened and he leaned over Slippy's desk to take a look. "Ooooh! How's it work?"

Slippy scrolled through his documentation. "It's a bug – or series of bugs – resulting from a race condition when access to an administrator's file is requested. The queried byte is loaded into the CPU's cache during out-of-order execution, before permission is even granted, during which time the byte's size can be read and the content extrapolated. Essentially any bit of data behind an access wall can be remotely read."

The stoat seemed captivated by his report. When he was finished scanning it he glanced at the document title.

"ColdRead, eh?"

Slippy shrugged. "I think it's important enough to give it a name. It will help with spreading awareness and disseminating fixes."

Slint winced. "Oh, uh, actually Slippy, there's a process we need to follow before we release these kinds of exploits to the public sector."

"But this could potentially be catastrophic! Think about how much data could leak out from our systems – in fact anyone around the System could be affected!"

"I know, I know. But we still have regulations. If it affects processors that utilize out-of-order execution, the flaw has existed for almost a decade now, and hasn't been identified or misused yet. We have to determine whether to disclose this to the public or save it for a potential cyberweapon. This could be a valuable asset to the CSA."

"You mean there's a chance we wouldn't disclose it? We'd try to _capitalize_ off of it instead?"

"Well, the choice isn't really our responsibility," Slint explained. "We'll have to report it to the Equities Review Board for further deliberation. They'll ultimately make the decision to release or stash it. They're much better equipped for the job than we are; the board is made up of representatives from Cornerian Intelligence, the Treasury, the State Department, Homeplanet Security, and even the CDF. They'll weigh the possible economic and military benefits versus the risks of keeping the exploit secret."

"The Equities…Review…Board?" Slippy flatly asked, heart sinking.

"Yes. But don't worry about it; a CSA representative is chairman of the council!"

"Ah. Then I assume we have several of these exploits already?"

"Oh yes! We call it the Vault. We've already successfully employed one such exploit against Venom's systems during the war. It's a neat little box of monsters and demons just waiting to be cracked open."

The stoat straightened up and slapped him on the back. "Well, nice catch there, Slippy! Finish that report and send it my way, and I'll make sure it comes to the attention of the ERB."

"Yes sir," but Slippy could only manage a half-hearted salute. Brow furrowing, he resumed editing his report.

 _A vault of monsters and demons, huh?_

X

Elsewhere across the stars, Fox awoke from a dream. Not wanting to see it fade, he reached out his hands to grasp at the fleeing tendrils. He wanted to explore more of the fantastic landscape; the rolling hills, the soft grass, and crystal-clear lagoons – all of which seemed more lucid than reality. Moreover, he remembered exploring them in the company of another; someone he felt more love towards than anyone else as far back as he could remember. He'd never felt so complete, but the dream faded into fuzzy sparks, leaking between his eyelids into the real world like grains of sand through fingers.

When his lids blinked open, he lay facing up at the violet sky. The stars had begun their retreat into the background, and rosy pink clouds peeked above the mountaintops. It was clear morning fast approached the valley; dawn was about to break.

He tried to rise but noticed a weight atop his chest. Looking down he was surprised to see the cerulean-furred vixen still lying atop him. In a flash the events of the previous night came rushing back. So it wasn't a dream! He expected to wake up in Itoro's guest closet, or heck, even inside his cabin aboard the Great Fox. But to wake back up to _her_ and the valley, with everything just as he left it, felt too good to be real.

It was getting late. Soon all the village would rise from their beds, and Krystal needed to return home by then, or they might notice her absence. He needed to wake her up…but for the moment he was stuck watching her sleep. He just couldn't find the strength to disturb her blissful rest, captivated by the rising and falling of her shoulders, and the cute breaths that escaped her parted lips. She looked so calm; oblivious to the outside world. He had to make this moment of respite last. So instead he halted his own breathing and remained as still as possible, afraid a single twitch or sudden breath might awaken the sleeping angel.

It felt odd. Even while she was asleep, he could usually hear whispers of her thoughts and dreams, but not right now. That block still loomed between them, keeping their thoughts and minds separate. Was she really that different from Fara or any other girl now that their bond was severed? Maybe it was just puppy love; an infatuation of a new kind he'd never had to deal with before, simply because he'd never met a psychic. Yet, even without the window between their souls, he still felt himself inextricably tied to her, so it _had_ to be more.

After a few minutes of lying still, the nagging voice in the back of his head convinced Fox he had to wake her up. But if he was going to do so, he at least wanted to make it as pleasant as possible. He reached down, brushing his fingers softly through her locks of sapphire hair.

After another minute Krystal shifted. Her eyes blinked open, a look of surprise over her face when she saw him. But it softened to a smile.

"Good morning," she whispered, then her jaws pulled back in a delicate yawn and she stretched her arms, legs, and back atop him. She shivered in the early morning air; dew had already collected on the surrounding grass and even their bare coats of fur. She climbed further up him, tucking her muzzle beneath his chin and snuggling into the soft downfur of his chest for warmth.

"Morning," Fox returned. He wrapped his arms around her frame, pressing her tighter against him to better share their heat and combat the chilly air.

"Did we really do all those things together?" she asked, her warm breath tickling his neck fur.

"We did," he answered simply, though he still couldn't believe it himself.

She clung tighter to him, as if worried. "What…what happened last night?"

Fox exhaled. "I was hoping you'd be able to tell me," he admitted. "That's never happened to me before – only with you. Never with anyone else."

"You've done that before with others?"

His cheeks burned. "Well, sort of. The, um…physical part, at least. But I've never seen inside someone's mind like that."

"You mean you've been close to people like…Fara?"

He shifted uncomfortably. So she _had_ seen his memories, just as he'd seen hers. "Uh, yeah, she was my first time."

Her voice climbed in pitch. "Why did she run from you? I can't imagine anyone wanting to leave you like that."

Fox thought for a moment. "Well, like you she wanted everything from me, but it turned out to be too much. It scared her away."

"Oh…" she breathed for a minute. "I think I understand. Namah taught me that's what our bodies are for; to protect each other from what we carry inside. Sometimes we're just too much for each other. It's better not to get too close, or we might hurt those we love." She clung to him more tightly, as if the walls of his body would keep her safe from what lay in his mind.

It frustrated Fox; not being able to tell exactly what she was thinking. Actually having to communicate and read her visual cues was harder, and he'd enjoyed the ease of reading another's mind directly, even if it was unfiltered and a little frightening. How much of what Namah said did she really believe? How much did she fear what hid beneath his skin? He detected a quiver in her voice, as if frightened, yet her words sounded practiced, like she was parroting someone else's. And even then she was still close to him; as close as she could be without touching his mind.

It felt like trying to read lips.

"I see what you mean," Fox finally answered. He thought back to the previous night, then to Fara and everyone else he'd managed to hurt and been, in turn, hurt by. But when Krystal's invocation of Namah's name registered, he immediately bristled. He was tempted to wallow in such a pessimistic view of love, but the will to deny the witch the satisfaction of being right was stronger. Given time, he determined to prove her wrong.

"It hurts sometimes," Krystal added, "but I don't ever want to leave."

Fox smiled sadly. "I know. I don't want to leave you either. But…" He rose up, lifting the vixen with him so that she sat in his lap. "I'm sorry Krystal, we need to get going. It's morning now, and if they wake up to find you gone, they might get suspicious. I expect everyone will sleep in after carousing so late last night, but we can't afford to risk it."

Krystal's ears flattened and a frown weighed down the edges of her smile. She slid off of Fox and stood up, allowing him to rise as well. She wrapped her arms around her chest and kept her legs together, more aware of her nakedness now that she'd left his warmth.

"Come on, let's grab our clothes. I'll at least see you to the edge of the forest," he offered.

That seemed to lift her spirits a bit. Together the pair of foxes descended the hillside and rushed through the sea of grass, grateful to not be exposed in the open anymore. They found their clothes beside the lake and dressed, then crept back to the forest. Here Fox paused at the edge of the grass sea, and Krystal turned back to him.

"I guess this is goodbye," she said dejectedly.

He raised a paw and cupped her cheek. "Hey, only for now. You can visit me at Itoro's house whenever you can sneak away. I'll always be there for you, waiting. And during the day while I'm training or running an errand in the village, I'll try to stop by and see you. Okay?"

Krystal managed a smile for him and nodded. "Mhm!" She glanced at the forest for a second, then gave him a quick peck – as if worried someone might see them now that they were closer to the village. It was so quick Fox barely had time to react and return the gesture. By the time he reached out a hand for her, she'd already pivoted and left, hiking back into the forest.

Fox watched longingly from the edge of the field, empty hand lowering. Krystal hurried deeper into the forest until her tail darted behind a tree and she vanished from sight. Then he turned, making his way back to Itoro's house. He still had so many questions, but they would have to wait until he could see her again. Most of all, the cold void left in her absence had already begun to grow.


	28. Corruption Inc

X

Mission No. 28

Cerinia  
Altaira Valley

Corruption Inc.

X

Krystal sat at the base of a waterfall, breathing in the refreshing mists. The water in the air gathered in crystalline drops upon her coat of fur, cooling the vixen off after her usual set of chores that morning. A day had passed without her seeing Fox; they dared not meet again so soon. Ever since that night, a strange guilt lay over her like a cloud, as if her sisters knew what she had done, but they betrayed no sign to confirm her suspicions and infuriatingly acted as if everything was normal. She needed time to clear her head, as Fox put it.

She sat on a smooth, flat stone atop a sand bank beside the pool. Around her seat circled a dozen more, though they were empty – this morning it was just her. She raised her eyes to the waterfall, taking in the raw strength that thundered behind the avalanche of droplets. The falls spilled over a series of precipices and rocky shelves, crashing upon outcroppings and angular-shaped tree roots before spilling twenty feet into the pool. The water directly beneath the tumultuous falls was frothy and white, but further out the disturbance became neat circles, concentric and ever-expanding until they softly dissipated. This was the source of the stream that ran through the forest; much further down was the creek from which the women gathered water, and the fall where she had met Fox, though she tried not to think about it.

Easing into her routine, the vixen folded her legs, straightened her back, and closed her eyes. She lay her hands atop one another and touched the tips of her thumbs together. Gentle light still seeped in through her red lids. She could hear the thunder of the falls drowning out all else like white noise, and feel the spray of the mist against her cheek.

" _Feel and accept the concrete barriers of the world,"_ she remembered Namah instructing. _"Change yourself rather than trying to change the world around you. Cerinians have forgotten how to evolve. Instead they unnaturally bend the environment to their will, defying the order of the universe."_

Krystal reached out with the fingers of her mind, tracing the soft leaves, the fine grains of sand, and the hard edges of the rocks around her until she had a mental map of the clearing in her head.

" _Listen to the sounds of nature; the flow of life through plants and insects."_

The rushing of the stream grew louder in her ears. She could even hear the one-note thoughts shared by clouds of bugs, and the directive to consume, grow, and propagate woven into the very fiber of Cerinia's flora.

" _Do not dwell on the past, for it cannot be changed. Do not worry about the future, for any attempt to pin it down will cause it to spiral unpredictably out of your control. Focus on the here and now. Take nothing in this moment for granted – even something as simple as breathing."_

The vixen inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with refreshing air. She breathed in and out in a slow, rhythmic pattern, trying to silence her own voice in her head. But the more she tried to forget about her worries, the more she ended up thinking about them. What was the next step Namah had told her?

" _Let go of your emotions, and feel at peace with-"_

A branch snapped, alerting Krystal to someone's presence. Her eyes flashed open and she launched to her feet, turning to find Fox entering the clearing. He winced at the sound he had made, pausing halfway down the incline to the bank, hand gripping a branch for support. He looked like a youngling caught stealing a treat.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to disturb your…session."

Why was it he always stuttered when he talked to her?

He slid to the bottom of the incline and scratched his ear. "I uh, hope you don't mind my being here. If you want I can come back when you're-"

"No-no, please!" Krystal blurted. "You can stay if you want."

So much for Fox being the one to stutter…

Looking relieved, Fox continued down the incline to the bank. Krystal noticed him cradling an odd piece of paper in his hands.

"What's that?" she asked.

"What, this?" he held up the paper so she could see it better. It was papyrus woven from the reeds growing along the streams in the valley. There were Cerinian glyphs stained on the material, but Fox had it folded in an odd shape. "It's just a paper boat I made from a scrap piece of paper. I used to make them all the time when I was a kid."

He stopped by the edge of the water, where the pool from the waterfall funneled into a more narrow and fast-moving stream. He bent down, gently resting the paper boat atop the water and letting go. It slowly began to float along the surface, much like the colored leaves and feathery petals from the trees. Krystal thought it was rather cute; much like a smaller version of the gondola they had ridden the day before yesterday. She wanted to ask him how they were made.

Fox straightened back up, setting his fists on his hips and surveying the deeper pool. Fish hovered in the water, their rainbow scales catching the light like jewels as they gave him their sideways, wide-eyed stares.

"You know, back in the creek where I used to go exploring with my friends, there used to be fish like these. Just not as pretty. Brook trout, I think they were called. I remember watching them in the dark water, their white fins reminding me of wings. They were fun to catch and hold up for a few moments, but we always put them back."

He stared up at the waterfall, and Krystal followed his gaze to the brown tree roots. But the more she studied them, the more she realized they weren't roots at all; they were pipes bent at unnaturally straight angles, rusted through in some areas and fracturing apart in scale-like flakes. It was as if one of the Watchers' creatures had slithered its way to the valley, sucked all the water from the springs, and left the area outside a bone-dry desert. But now the creature was long dead, its corpse making way for new life to take root and thrive.

"Then one summer, the fish began to disappear, until we couldn't find them anymore," he said. Krystal detected a note of forlornness in his voice. "They opened a factory nearby – somewhere upstream, and they let the creek wash away their run-off. I thought that…maybe all the fish were hiding somewhere we couldn't see. Like they were waiting for us to come and find them, or for the waste to drain out before they returned, like it was all one long season of winter."

After studying the fish some more, Fox tore himself away and turned, entering the circle of meditation seats. He sat down on one of the outer stones, facing her. Krystal wanted to put aside her exercises and speak with him, but at the same time Namah expected her to finish, and she feared the matron more. So she closed her eyes and continued, now aware that she had an audience.

"You uh…meditating?" Fox asked.

"Mhm," she hummed, assuming the shape of the cobra, or the _nākahi_. She stretched across the stone on her stomach, but held her arms out to prop up the top half of her torso. She tilted her head back, curving her spine until the speckled sunlight from between the leaves washed over her face.

"We had that back in Lylat," Fox continued. "But I never really put much faith in the aligning chakras stuff."

"There are many reasons the kaitaki meditate," Krystal explained, eyes still closed. "For one, stretching keeps your joints loose throughout the day."

Next came the _wīra_ , or the wheel. Krystal rose to her knees and bent over backwards till her palms and head touched the ground, forming an inverted bridge. She stole a glance at Fox while holding the posture; his eyebrows were raised.

Noticing her glance, Fox coughed. "You're, uh, really flexible. I think I'd pull a muscle if I tried something like that."

"The difficult postures demand you focus on the body and not the mind, keeping your powers repressed and your thoughts clear."

"Huh…how 'bout that." Fox sounded like he didn't follow her too well, but was trying to be interested for her sake. Even Krystal didn't exactly understand how it worked, but she enjoyed her sessions all the same.

She transitioned into the _kopiana,_ pivoting onto her forearms and lifting her legs straight up in the air, mimicking a scorpion's tail. She was aware of Fox staring at her, his unabashed gaze making her cheeks burn. It didn't help that she wore her meditation robe, the purposefully-short hem leaving her legs bare for unrestrained movement. What little of a skirt there was flapped down in this position, exposing up to the white tattoo of the number 28 on her thigh.

"It must take a lot of concentration to balance like that," Fox murmured, unaware of how dumb he sounded.

Feeling self-conscious, but at the same time giddy about the stupefying effect she held over the todd, Krystal stood upright and assumed the _kanikani_ , a pose usually reserved for dancers, but was just as beneficial as it was alluring to onlookers. She balanced on one foot and lifted the other leg behind her, bending her spine back so she could grab the raised foot. Her upper torso and raised leg formed a circle that funneled the rays of the morning sun onto Fox, brightening like a halo around her. She closed her eyes and tried to appear unconscious of his fixation.

"Achieving physical balance also gives you inner stability, since the mind and body are linked. What effects one effects the other," she added.

"Wow…" was all Fox could manage.

She held the pose perfectly for a time, retaining the inner peace she had found before Fox's arrival.

"Um, about what happened that night…"

Krystal faltered, swaying left and right; her mind having returned to their act of lovemaking. To hide her surprise she simply switched legs. "Y-yes?"

Fox exhaled. "I just wanted to apologize again for all of… _that._ I should've known you weren't ready. I should've expected something would go wrong if a Lylatian and a Cerinian tried to…well, mate. It's my fault and I wish I had been more careful for the both of us."

Realizing her attempts at meditation were futile, Krystal released the pose and lowered into a sitting position. She felt uncomfortable and scared talking about the matter, as if the elders might be listening in on their conversation, or even secretly reading her mind. But another part of her was practically burning to talk with Fox about it.

"It's alright," she answered. "Even Māra didn't know it would be like that." Her blood flowed hot and she wrung the short hem of her robe with her fingers, pulling it as far down as it would go. "But Fox, I've never felt anything like that before. It was…amazing. It was wonderful being with you. I don't regret it, and neither should you. I think we should-" She lowered her voice to a whisper, glancing around. "I think we should sneak away again sometime, when it's safe. Only…only as long as we don't share memories."

Fox frowned as he fidgeted with his hands. "That's just it. Remember what you said afterwards? That our bodies are meant to protect each other from what's inside of us? I've given it a lot of thought since then, and I think that type of outlook is wrong. It's so pessimistic. It assumes everything that's happened in our lives is painful and should be kept locked away. There were so many good experiences I've had – so many memories I want to share with you. It doesn't have to be painful. I guess what I'm trying to say is…" His expression turned serious and his eyes stared directly into hers. "I want to try it again."

Krystal's pulse spiked and she drew in her legs defensively. "Here?!" she gasped.

"No! That's not what I-" Fox released an exasperated breath, as if he wanted to kick himself. "I want to share a memory with you – not do anything physical. I just want to prove to you that it doesn't have to be bad. So please, look inside my head again."

He walked over to her and sat down. Still unsure about the whole thing, Krystal scooted forward and perched on the edge of the stone to be closer, allowing Fox to take her hands.

"Well, alright," she agreed. She followed suit with Fox and closed her eyes, reaching out to his mind with her own just as she had mentally explored the forest around her earlier. She sunk into him, and Fox reproduced the memory, feeding as much stimuli from the chosen event to her senses as he could recall.

 _An instant after diving into the memory she was in his body, seeing images through his eyes, feeling things through his skin. It was a bright blue day, with the sun washing the surfaces in a hazy light. Her shoes clopped against hard cement ground that stretched for hundreds of feet in either direction, till it met the edges of a dusty red desert._ _Everything around her seemed so much larger than herself; it must've been from when Fox was younger._

 _She had no control of her actions, and for that matter neither did Fox; he had already taken them years ago, and the past was final. All he could do was decided how to present the memory to her, and what to embellish._

 _Unbidden her feet carried her to a strange, metallic, polygonal creature. Its white and deep blue hide set it off against the pale blue sky – similar to Fox's current ship, but not quite as sleek. She paused at a yellow ladder and began climbing it carefully, watching as Fox's small hands gripped each rung in succession. At the top she looked down into the beast's mouth, where an older vulpine sat. Krystal was shocked; he appeared almost a mirror image of who Fox was today. He wore a similar flight suit and white vest with an identical red scarf around his neck. The only differences were the reflective black lenses obscuring his eyes and the way he carried himself; he seemed more confident, more unapologetic, whereas Fox was self-conscious and cautious._

" _That's my dad, James," Fox explained to her, but the older vulpine's effigy was deaf to his voice._

 _He patted his lap. "Hop in Fox," he said while grinning. "You ready for your first flight?"_

" _You bet I am!" Krystal heard coming from herself. But she stumbled while climbing over the beast's lip and fell in._

" _Whoa there!" James exclaimed, but began laughing as he helped her sit upright. She sat in his lap and he secured her with a safety harness. His strong arms reached around her to grab the controls, and Krystal felt an intense sensation of comfort and safety emanating from him._

 _So this is what a parent is like, she thought. She'd experienced many of the same emotions with Fox. She wondered…did Fox miss these feelings now that he was older? Did he want the same safety from her in return?_

 _James fiddled with the controls, the specific hand-motions lost on Krystal, but every input seemed burned into Fox's muscle memory; she could feel the tendons in his paws firing to match each motion. The beast's stomach growled, with powerful vibrations shaking the entire ship. Krystal could feel them even rattling Fox's bones._

 _The ship began moving forward, the edge of the concrete and the ruddy sand beyond approaching faster and faster. Then, just before they reached it, James pulled back on a plastic stick and the creature lifted into the air._

 _Krystal gasped at the same time as young Fox did, the desert falling out from under them. James nosed the ship into the infinite blue sky until the only way Krystal could gauge their motion was by the clouds drifting around them._

" _How far up are we?" young Fox asked._

" _30,000 feet, kiddo." James lifted Krystal up so she could see over the creature's mouth and down to the ground below. The sight of the insect-like buildings frightened her; she'd never felt so small or so high up before, and her stomach turned – or maybe it was just Fox's. At first the experience was frightening, but it was much like her first time flying with Fox. She felt safe then; she felt even safer now knowing nothing could happen to her in a memory._

 _James sure put on a show; he sped the ship up until Krystal felt an invisible force pushing her back into him, but never to a point where it was too much to bear. He pulled the stick back to bring the ship in a tight loop, and Krystal cried out giddily at the apex. Knowing his son liked it, James turned them upside down so that the blue sky and red ground traded places. Krystal's arms hung limply downwards, the blood rushing to her head for an exhilarating experience._

 _Young Fox laughed excitedly. "Alright!" he cheered, and Krystal was inclined to agree._

 _Eventually James brought the ship right-side up and slowed to a gentle pace._

" _So Fox, you ready to give it a go?"_

 _Krystal looked back over her shoulder at James, who was grinning ear-to-ear. Her eyes widened. "Can I?!"_

" _Sure, but don't try anything too fancy. You can't be an ace-pilot on your first flight."_

 _Krystal eagerly gripped her paws around the control stick while James rested his hands close by, sometimes placing them over hers to readjust their course. While the ship wasn't necessarily under her control, it was still amazing to watch it respond to the movements she made with her hands. The ride from there on was jerky and clumsy, but still felt empowering._

 _After their adventure in the sky, James landed back on the concrete platform and helped Krystal down the ladder. When she dropped the last few rungs, James hopped down as well, but he crouched into a kneeling position. He undid the red scarf from around his neck and rested it over Krystal's shoulders, tying it in place._

" _Son, I want you to have this. You've earned it after your first flight."_

 _Krystal's heart swelled as she looked down at the scarf, holding it up with her paws. "Wow…" She looked back up. "Can I be part of your team too!?"_

 _James ruffled her head fur. "One day, kiddo. One day…"_

The image of the vulpine faded, the reflection of the young todd in his glasses replaced by Fox sitting in front of her. He smiled sheepishly and looked down.

"That was the first time Dad took me flying. I wanted to be a pilot ever since."

"That felt…warm," Krystal breathed. "And it was exciting! But…where is your dad now?"

Fox put on a grin and tapped his head. "He's just a memory."

She smiled back. "Well, he's a good memory. I think I understand now; they don't always have to be bad."

"See! Now go on; _you_ try. Think about something that made you happy. And, if you want, you can show it to me."

"O-okay, I'll try." Krystal knit her brow and concentrated. She searched her past for a suitable memory – one that would amuse Fox as much as his had enthralled her. But it was difficult. So many of her experiences were negative; especially the ones she tried to block out. And the longer she came up empty, the more deflated her spirit felt inside. There had to be something…

The image of Fox's father handing him the bandana stuck with her.

"Alright," she breathed timidly, "my turn now."

They closed their eyes again, and this time Krystal fed Fox a steady stream of sensations to paint the scene for him.

 _In contrast to the wide open plains of Fox's memory, Krystal's was nearly suffocating. The sun was merely a harsh fluorescent light overhead, the sky, ceiling panels, and the horizon a simple green and blue vista painted on the walls of a nursery. The rest of the room was just as minimal, except for a confused stack of alphabet blocks, a heap of picture books, a scattering of small stuffed animals, and an air mattress with a pink quilt folded down. She could feel Fox eating up the room through her eyes, though she sensed a hint of dread in his curiosity, as if he knew how it all would end._

 _Krystal felt the need to explain what and where the room was to Fox, but he seemed aware of all the connotations she gave the items in the memory – just from sharing her headspace with her._

 _She wasn't alone – or rather, the two of them weren't alone. She looked up at the mirror embedded in one of the walls, and together they saw her reflection staring back; a blue-furred kit dressed in a snow-white gown, playing with alphabet blocks. But she was focused behind the mirror, where the thoughts of someone else emanated from. She quit stacking the blocks and frowned. It was frustrating. From the man's eyes she could see herself through the mirror as if it were glass, but when she looked at where she knew the man would be watching her, there was only her own reflection, as if the mirror could only be viewed from one side._

 _For some reason her stare made the man uncomfortable. His thoughts became confused – fearful, even. He shifted in his seat, tugged at his collar, then stood up and left completely, leaving no one behind the mirror._

 _She had always wondered why he wouldn't show himself and admit he was observing her, but now she knew better. He was just another one of the Watchers._

 _A rap sounded on the door, and it opened. Krystal turned to see an orange-furred vixen enter the room, much taller than herself – yet her size did not intimidate the cub. There was an unmistakable matronly air about her, and her sparkling emerald eyes and beaming smile brought her comfort._

" _Vixy!" she squealed and stood up, rushing over to wrap her arm around the woman's leg._

 _Vixy laughed and knelt down so she could return the hug. "Hi sweetie, I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."_

 _Fox seemed floored by his mother's appearance. He wished the embrace would last forever, and leaned into the hug with all his might, yet he couldn't change the memory on his own. Realizing it meant so much to him, Krystal did her best to extend the memory as long as she could. For several blissful moments, Fox felt reunited with his lost mother, even if he knew it was nothing but a ghost. Krystal understood the feeling well, for she shared Fox's love for the vixen as if she were her own mother, and missed her just as much, even after all these years. But this was merely the start of the memory, so Krystal pressed on and resumed the flow of time._

" _I missed you! I thought you were gone forever!"_

 _Vixy clucked her tongue and held Krystal at arm's length, studying her with pity. "Oh you poor thing! You know I'll always come back to you. After all, you mean the world to me. But I won't be able to visit you every day; that's why I brought you something…"_

 _She reached behind her back and revealed a new stuffed toy animal, though this one was bigger than the rest; it was nearly half Krystal's size. The plushie was a black-and-white panda bear with fuzzy fur and soft, pillowy limbs. Krystal caught the toy up in her arms and hugged it with nearly as much vigor as she hugged Vixy._

" _Aw, she's so cute!" Krystal exclaimed._

 _Vixy looked relieved that Krystal received her gift with such warmth. "I wanted you to have someone when I'm not around, so that you'll never feel lonely. This little bear needs love and affection too; can you give that to her when I'm gone?"_

 _Krystal looked up at the woman. "Mm! I'll keep her safe."_

 _A harsh voice reached the room from somewhere outside the door. Both of the vixens froze upon hearing it. Krystal could even feel Fox bristling when he recognized the owner._

" _What is he doing here? He shouldn't be running around in the labs like that. It's not…safe."_

 _Vixy glanced over her shoulder for an instant, but tried not to let on. She turned back to face Krystal, resting her hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry sweetie, I have to go now, but I'll be here for the rest of the week, and I'll try to visit you every day. How does that sound?"_

 _Krystal hugged the teddy bear tighter and buried her muzzle in the top of its head so that only her eyes and nose peeked over. "Do you_ have _to go now?" she whined._

" _Yes dear, I know it's hard. But I want you to be a strong girl for me, okay? I'll be back to visit you tomorrow."_

" _Well, okay…"_

 _Vixy squeezed her shoulder. "That's my girl!" she leaned down and kissed Krystal on the forehead before rising back to her feet. "Goodbye for now. And remember to take care of your new friend."_

" _Goodbye," Krystal felt herself say as the door to the nursery gently shut. Somehow the soft click of the lock still deafened her ears, no matter how quiet Vixy tried to make it. She sat down and leaned against the door, cradling the stuffed panda bear to her torso. It was soft and warm, even if the heat it returned to her was only that which she had given._

 _"When you were young," Fox asked, "you spoke Cornerian?"_

 _"N-no_ _. I think she learned to speak Cerinian_ _– just for me. That's why I learned Cornerian for you."_

 _"But when she spoke I heard Cornerian."_

 _"I couldn't recall her words exactly," Krystal admitted, "but what I could I translated for you."_

 _She had planned to end the memory there, but the sound of small footsteps pattered back to the nursery, and a shadow fell across the beam of light that slipped beneath the door._

" _Hello?" her younger self asked._

 _The response was quiet and muffled; she couldn't make out a word._

 _Curious, Krystal set the stuffed animal aside and reached her thin paw through the crack beneath the door. To her surprise, another set of fingers brushed hers, and she gasped and withdrew her paw. But soon she missed their touch enough to slip her hand back beneath the door. She met the strange set of fingers again, and this time they gently took hold of hers. She didn't know who they belonged to, but the presence of someone else's touch, even that of a complete stranger, told her someone still cared about her._

 _For quite some time they held hands beneath the door, unable to see or understand each other. Their shared touch and mutual grasp was their only form of communication, though it was the universal one all species understood. Krystal gripped the hand even tighter, but it didn't pull away, staying in solidarity with her._

" _Who is it?" Fox asked._

" _I…I don't know. I never think I found out," Krystal admitted. "But I remember them being there for me several more times. It was years ago."_

" _That's odd…I'm going to try something."_

" _Hey, wait!"_

 _Fox tried to take control of the memory as if it were a dream created in the moment – which, in a way, it was. Krystal did her best to weave the rest of the memoryspace while he looked around, which turned out to be surprisingly easy. He leaned them over, trying to catch a glimpse of the person through the crack beneath the door. But when they saw their form, the figure was entirely made from fizzing static; an amalgamation of random, confusing images that flashed by one after the other like her brain was trying to fit puzzle pieces into a place they didn't belong. When she tried to access the memory she found the labyrinth of neurons all twisted up; the pattern to recombine the pieces for recollection damaged, blocked._

 _Then in an instant the static grew to consume all of their vision. Their eyes were assaulted by flashes_ _of_ _light_ _intercut_ _by_ _shadow_ _; a_ _ **strobing**_ _pattern_ _ **of**_ _void_ _ **black**_ _and_ _ **vacant**_ _white, **day** and **night,** dark **and** light-_

With a start Krystal opened her eyes, and found Fox blinking his as well. She looked away from him, even though he hadn't said anything yet.

"I'm sorry. I thought it was a happy memory, but…"

Fox squeezed her hand in his, quieting her fears. "It _did_ make me happy," he beamed. "I'm glad that, even back then, there was someone else there for you."

X

Falco clinked his glass with Fazio's, a high-pitched chime sounding as the red liquid within washed dangerously close to the lip. One by one the avians toasted with Katt as well, but she barely raised her glass to meet them. She didn't quite share their enthusiasm.

"To the prosperity of the Free Birds!" the goose declared in a hushed voice. They sat in the farthest booth back in the Angler's Lure, around the corner of the bar and closest to the restrooms. For the moment at least no one seemed to be near them; the only other patrons were drunk and asleep on the other side of the bar. Still, Fazio knew better than to speak that name too loudly – even after hours.

Together they tipped their glasses up and drank – even Katt joined in. Falco set his glass back down and exhaled. "Woo! This is great wine. How long you been saving it?"

The goose turned the bottle back and forth in his wings, narrowing his eyes at the label. "Hm, let me think. This was given to me…Oh! When I won that cocktail contest over on the east side. King Santarossa of the Santarossa family held the contest to search for a new personal mixer – he was a patron of the Angler's Lure ever since. Of course, that was long before you showed up here, and he didn't survive the turf war with the Borovskis. Anyway, this was the first-place prize."

Katt suddenly felt guilty about drinking the wine, but Falco laughed it off. "That's when you know you're desperate – when you're drinking your _souvenirs_."

The waterfowl's smile broadened as he caught on before completely bursting into a honking laugh. "Yes, isn't it!"

After finishing they set their glasses down, with Falco producing his wallet. "Alright Fazio, how much do I owe ya?"

The bartender held up his wings to dismiss the notion. "Please! You know your money is no good…" But he trailed off, eyes widening at the stack of disposable cred chips Falco was thumbing through. "Saaaay Falco! You've hit it big?"

The falcon adopted a cocky grin. "Yeah, you might say that."

Fazio leaned in, lowering his voice. "How'd you come across that many chips? You been doin' some mercenary work on the side? Little bounty hunting? Gambling? You did always have the luck of a redheaded rabbit."

"Eh, I hit that jackpot before I even arrived here. The last three weeks I've been figuring out how to trade it in for cash." He lowered his voice as well. "Alright Faz, I'll let you in on a little secret, though word's already spreading through the underground and you might be the last to find out. We didn't reform the Free Birds just for old time's sake. We're selling a new product called Corruption."

Fazio's eyebrows lifted. "You mean you're drug-running?"

Falco waved him off. "It's nothing harmful, I don't think. And the Bureau hasn't classified it yet, though when they find out it's sure to be highly illegal. All of the old gang is in on it – Pukes synthesizes it, and we distribute it through Katt's garage."

" _Falco!"_ Katt hissed. "Do you think you should be telling him this?"

"Relax!" he said while throwing a wing over her shoulder. "Fazio's not one to flap his beak about stuff like this – only harmless gossip. Right, Faz?"

"You got it Falco. A bartender hears more secrets than most on account of his alcohol loosening lips. My beak is a steel trap."

"It's not him _willingly_ telling that I'm worried about," Katt mumbled.

"I don't think we have to be worried. The Free Birds have more influence over the north end now than we ever did. Corruption has hooked people all over – even in the Bureau. We've made some pretty important friends."

"And enemies," she huffed.

Falco shrugged. "Makes me feel proud to have enemies. Tells me I'm doing something… _notable_." He slid a pair of cred chips across the table. "Here, this oughta cover our bill, as well as anything left over on my tab."

Fazio was astounded by the amount of money on the two chips. "Thank you, son! Now you two be careful on your way home, alright?"

"We will," Katt nodded.

"Ah we know how to handle ourselves," Falco assured him.

They bid goodbye to Fazio and stepped out onto the street – but they weren't done for the night. Tonight was their shift gathering ingredients for Pukes. The Free Birds operated in pairs every other night; Falco and Katt, Mouser and Bowser, and Shani with Pukes or Kitt – whichever was available or up to it that night.

After returning to Katt's garage to pick up a pair of backpacks, they snuck through alleyways and pitch-black streets whose streetlights were all broken. Their journey brought them to a sewage trench that split the north end from District 13's center island. The canal was filled with several feet of inky black water. Garbage littered either side of the bank, caked together with a disgusting muck. Katt noted several aluminum cans of Whimsy soda discard among the rest – it had been Falco's favorite ever since he showed back up, and ever since it released to general markets. Ironic, she thought, that they would have cola to drink but not clean water. Even in the face of so much pollution and garbage the denizens of District 13 didn't bat an eye at littering. To them it was just more tears in the rain. Still, Katt thought she saw Falco glance at the cans with a new disdain.

They paused at the top of the canal, setting down their packs and removing their gear. They dressed in plastic coveralls, long rubber hip boots, gloves, and gas masks to filter out the rancid stench. That night Katt had chosen a strawberry-scented filter to make the ordeal more pleasant. Falco donned his own mask and fixed it in place. She'd finally found one designed for avians, with a long, snout-like extension for the beak. It looked like a plague mask on Falco, producing a disturbing effect along with the empty, reflective eye-lenses.

Once finished they carefully descended the concrete slope and waded into the mire. The water was thick and warm, even through the protective material of Katt's coveralls. She hated whenever it was their turn to collect the shrooms. It was so hard to escape the rot and waste of Zoness nowadays, yet here she found herself wading among it. But as much as she hated it, there was something still beautiful about all the refuse and spoil; something dark and alluring. The surface of the sewage was coated in black oil, which, when undisturbed, reflected the overhead stars on a clear night like this. The sluggishly-flowing current sent iridescent eddies swirling on the top, displaying a rainbow of colors. Though maybe she was so desperate for anything resembling redemption that her standards had been worn low over time. Regardless, she liked having an excuse to be somewhere quiet and alone with Falco.

Within a few seconds of their eyes adjusting to the darkness, they spotted the telltale amethyst glow of the fungi. They lurked in tin cans, beneath cardboard boxes, inside innertubes – anywhere out of reach of the light and with ample trash to feed off of. Already the mushrooms were doing their magic; even after just a month of the reclamation program, Katt could tell a difference in the quality of the water. It wasn't much, but it felt like every day the mycoremediation process was accelerating.

Together they drew their knives, setting to work cutting the mushrooms at the base of their trunks. They deposited the heads in trashbags hung from their belts, leaving the roots behind or spreading them to other locations.

"Hey," Falco broke the silence, his voice muffled by the mask. "Did you ever stop and wonder if, maybe…this was Andross's intent all along? Like, he always planned to clean Zoness back up after the War?"

Katt shrugged. "Well, that would depend. Why did he make this stuff in the first place? To clean up toxic waste? Or as an experimental drug?"

"Well, he at least knew they could be used to clean shit up. I wouldn't be surprised if he meant to fix Venom in the same way. Like, imagine that; if these catch on, they could be used to terraform other planets."

The feline _humphed_ in response. "Either way, I don't appreciate being his plaything; ruining Zoness just so he could flex his technological prowess and rebuild it later. A total Andross thing to do."

"Yeah, I see what you mean…"

The quiet returned, only broken by their gentle sloshes through the water and the rustling of their trash bags. Even the nearby streets and overhead bridges were silent.

"You seem uncharacteristically quiet tonight," Falco pointed out.

"Hm? Oh." Katt deposited a clump of the mushrooms into her bag, thankful that a glove separated her from their rubbery flesh. Trying to find something to say, she asked, "You think people would stop buying Corruption if they knew where it came from?"

"What, mushrooms with the power to clean up literal toxins? That sounds pretty clean to me."

"Yeah, but like…you don't wash your hands in soap that's been poured on mud – much less get high off of it."

"I don't wash my hands period," Falco flatly stated.

"Not surprised," she sighed in return.

"Can't. Don't have hands, really."

Katt rolled her eyes at the technicality. "Still, no matter how much Pukes cleans the stuff or how well it breaks down toxins or whatever, it doesn't change the fact that we got it from a sewer."

"Hey, it's better than the literal poison they put in meth."

"Oh, like what?"

"Like, _actual_ poison. Insecticides, for one."

"That's a pretty low standard you have. Ugh. The whole thing is still pretty terrible."

Falco turned to her. "Alright, what's been eating you lately?" He looked rather frightening in his plague mask, a clump of glowing mushrooms in one hand, a knife in the other. Yet he didn't phase Katt.

"Well, it's just…you've been running this operation for three weeks now. I wanted to know…what's your long term plan for the Free Birds? What are you trying to accomplish? You brought everyone back together, which is a good thing of course. But what is your end goal? Do you want money? More power? Fame?"

He crossed his arms. "And what are you driving at? What _should_ I be doing?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but Zoness is in ruins." She tapped her chest. " _I've_ been helping. I took over the mechanic shop and help repair things that were broken – even things that everyone else said were a lost cause. But I don't believe Zoness is."

"And you think you're making a significant difference?"

"Well, maybe not on my own, but I'm doing my part, and if everyone helped together, we'd make a change."

"Yes, but _no one's_ working together. We can't make a difference like that. Corneria isn't helping. All they do is send a new relief shipment that doesn't amount to much more than a big band-aid over the planet; a slow trickle of experiments from Andross's labs. All the construction materials are being funneled someplace else – god knows where. The Bureau won't help much, even though it's their job; they don't have the resources, and what little Cornerian handouts they get they exploit and wield over the people to cement their power. All those rich elites who vacation here won't do anything unless it's for publicity – to spread their own brand. They're all floating above our heads in their expensive yachts and pleasure cruisers. The Black Dragonfish and the rest of the cartels won't help. They just hide in the shadows, pulling puppet strings from the underground. They thrive on chaos like this – word on the street is they support Grimmer, if you needed any further proof they aren't looking out for District 13."

Katt was taken aback by his impassioned rant; she never guessed he was bottling something like that up inside him, but at least he was talking with her about it.

"Well, what about Starfox?"

" _Starfox?!_ Starfox doesn't exist anymore. Fox has disappeared on some wild goose chase, Slippy has a comfy job, and Peppy's investigating some sort of crazy conspiracy. I got the Free Birds back together; I can't work a miracle and reunite Starfox from the corners of the System."

"Then why don't you go looking for Fox? Why don't you search for him and reform the team? I'm sure Slippy and Peppy have both been itching to spread their wings again, and it sounds like Fox has already."

Falco sighed, resuming gathering mushrooms. "It's not that simple anymore," he grumbled. "I wish it was, but the War is over. There's no one left to fight. We can't just shoot down all of our problems like we used to – it ain't that black and white. I'm on my own now. I have to do with my life as I see fit."

The falcon picked up what looked like a paper boat some kid had tried to sail on the water. He broke the mushrooms off from the top, leaving the mycelium – the roots of the fungus – riddled through the rest of the boat. Carefully he deposited them a few yards away, intent on spreading the mushrooms.

"So, what?" Katt gestured around them. "All you plan to do is wallow in the mud for the rest of your life?"

"Someone has to. You think the Bureau or Corneria or even the Dragonfish are willing to dirty their hands to make Zoness a better place? They don't have the balls. Like it or not, I'm alone, and I'm not gonna wait for another Starfox team to come along and sweep me up so I can make a difference." He lowered his voice and shook a fistful of the mushrooms in front of Katt. "Look, ever since I had a taste of Corruption, I've felt this-this _connection_ with everyone here!"

"You _take_ that stuff!" Katt exclaimed. "Falco, a dealer isn't supposed to partake!"

He dropped the handful into his bag and crossed his arms. "That's where you're wrong. A dealer should never sell what he doesn't use himself. Corruption is on the level, Katt. It's not like anything else! It helps bring people together, it shows them what it feels like to be in someone else's shoes. This is the key, the future of Zoness – maybe even all of Lylat!"

Katt's eyes widened behind her mask. "…Does Corruption also give you delusions of grandeur?" she timidly asked.

"Huh? _Oh_ …" Falco brushed his head-feathers back with a gloved hand, inadvertently smearing grime across them. "No! _Ahem,_ yeah, I'm cool, I'm cool. I just…got a little flustered, that's all. Some of what you said made me feel…defensive, to say the least. But yeah, I want you to know I have a plan, and I _am_ set on helping District 13. I just have my own way of doing it."

Katt smirked, feeling more at ease now that he'd settled down. "Well, you always were stubborn like that."

"Heh, I know, right?" Falco tied up his bag and began wading back downstream. "Come on, let's head home."

Katt dropped the rest of her crop into a bag and trundled after him, making sure to keep her tail raised well above the waterline. She thought back to what he had said. His sudden, rare concern for others was what scared her the most. But at the same time…

"Did you really mean all that? Were you really in this for everyone else from the start?"

He hesitated, looking down. "I wasn't at first. It was just for myself. Then out of a debt to you and the rest of the team I'd abandoned. But…the more I spent revisiting 13, and the more I spent connecting with people and living around everyone, the more I realized I cared about them. You know?"

She bit her lip for a second, mulling over his answer. "Falco, wait…"

The bird stopped in his tracks, turning back to face her expectantly.

"You got one thing wrong…"

She stepped forward and hugged him, even in the middle of all the waste and mire.

"You're not alone."

X

General Pepper's eyes blinked open. Above his head spanned an unfamiliar ceiling – one he'd never awoken to before. He still felt tired and groggy, but sore from resting so long. How long had he slept? It sure felt like half a day. He couldn't even remember where he was-

A pair of curtains whisked open, flooding the room with light. For a moment all he saw was a blinding white, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Then he sat up, still clinging to the covers but rubbing his eyes with his other fist. When they readjusted to the light, he looked around.

Four figures surrounded the bed; a towering bull, a familiar tanooki, a Doberman butler, and…a strange vixen with unnatural blue fur.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

The onyx bull stared down at him from the foot of the bed, arms crossed and face smug. "Good morning, Cornelius. I trust you had a restful night?"

"I-I don't understand!" he stammered, clutching the blankets tighter to his chest. "Where am-" But he stopped, finally able to distinguish their faces. "Fredersen!? De Pon!?"

"You've regained your faculties quite well," de Pon noted.

"What happened? I was at the party last night talking with you and that pair of otters, then…" The canine butler sparked another memory. "Then you brought a bottle of wine, and after that…" He concentrated, but there seemed to be a gap in his memories. "I don't remember. Everything is so fuzzy, like a dream." His eyes widened, and he pointed an accusing finger. "You…you drugged me!"

De Pon smiled. "Oh come now, surely you must remember _some_ of last night. I'm sure it must be among your most memorable, even when under the influence of…certain substances."

"And what is _she_ doing here?" Pepper demanded, looking at the alien vixen in confusion. "The Cerinian test subjects belong on Venom; it's impossible you got the proper authorization to bring her here! Especially not without _my_ permission."

"I assure you Cerinian 26 poses no threat to the capital. She possesses a very… _different_ set of skills. Shall we say, more surgical ones?"

Pepper's jaw hung open, and he stared at the vixen. Yet her face bore a stone-cold expression, betraying no emotions. She looked oddly robotic.

"Play the tape," Fredersen grunted. He seemed bored of toying with Pepper.

Wordlessly the butler set a holo-projector on the dresser and turned it on. Every surface of the room was completely plastered over by a new coating of pixels, detailing what had transpired earlier between the four walls. Pepper watched as the bed became occupied by two new figures; the Cerinian and himself, locked together in debaucherous acts. It was like he was committing the sins all over again, yet this time he watched from a removed, third-person perspective, witnessing just how depraved he had behaved the night before. He remembered little of the night itself, but the hologram triggered a few brief images he _had_ retained – images he worried might haunt him for the rest of his life.

And all of his iniquities were laid bare before Fredersen and de Pon, both men he'd at one time counted as friends, and certainly allies. Yet now the bull held his swollen nose confidently in the air, glaring down on him, and the tanooki grinned smugly. Pepper glanced at the Cerinian, but she averted her gaze, her stare boring a hole through the opposite wall.

He wanted to hide his actions. He felt the urge to fling himself between the recording and its onlookers – or better yet, he'd smash the projector itself. But that would require him to leave the sheets and further reveal his shame. Instead his blood began to boil in his veins.

"You tricked me," he growled at de Pon. Then at Fredersen he barked, "And you masterminded it! I would never have touched this woman if not for your illicit drugs!"

"Drugs which you ordered reclaimed from Venom," Fredersen countered, his voice booming through the room. "Crystal lysergic acid, remember? It doesn't control your actions; it merely removes the barriers of your conscious mind and bares your true feelings. The desire for adultery and fornication was always in you, Pepper. It just took a little help bringing it out."

"Well, even the righteous have these kinds of thoughts; we all struggle with them! But my will is stronger than that of any other!"

"Really, Pepper? You think anyone would agree with you? You think anyone wants to admit they have the same potential for wrong-doing? Try that on your wife when you tell her about last night. Try telling that to your own men, who adhere to your strict code of conduct. Tell that to the general public, who thought you were their shining beacon in times of need. You know, you really aren't that much different than young McCloud, considering all of his recent misbehavior. No one likes to see their heroes disgraced, Cornelius. But when they do, they begin to think of them as the villain."

"You wouldn't _dare_ release this footage!" the hound blustered, glaring at Fredersen through the hologram. "I can expose your use of Venomian drugs and test subjects."

"Oh, but you _can't._ All of that evidence is highly classified. You'd never be allowed to subpoena them. And once word gets out, you'd be finished – irreparably damaged. Imagine having to explain your recreational use of contraband Venomian drugs, and your abuse of living test subjects? You must understand Pepper, you're replaceable; just like McCloud."

Fredersen turned and exited the room, followed by de Pon who spared him one last glance before disappearing. The butler tossed Pepper a robe before leaving, but the Cerinian remained.

Ignoring her, Pepper called, "W-wait!" He slipped on the robe and hurried to tie it in front, trailing his compatriots into the hall. He whizzed past a framed painting of a sailboat, following them out onto a spacious balcony that overlooked the countryside and, far in the distance, the sparkling silver towers of Corneria City. De Pon stepped to the side as Pepper came to a stop behind Fredersen, who had his sights set on the gleaming capital.

"What is it you want?" he asked. "How have I wronged you that you are so far past reasoning with me you'd resort to _this?"_

"I'm sorry it had to be this way," de Pon answered first. "But you gave us no other choice. You obstinately stood in our way and opposed each of our efforts for true progress. This had to be done."

"This whole matter is… _unpleasant,_ " Fredersen agreed, still facing away from Pepper. "I respect you a great deal, Cornelius. The System owes you a great debt for your services and your unshakable leadership during the recent crisis. You're brave and stalwart and stubborn. But that's also your own undoing. You're _too_ perfect; unwilling to dirty your own hands to save others."

"'Dirtying my hands?'" Pepper repeated. "Your version of dirtying hands is staging a military coup and using the experiments leftover by a mad dictator!"

"Yes…which begs the question, why are you so in favor of one and not the other?"

"Well…because it's for the people's own protection. They suffered under them as the enemy's weapons, now they can be helped by them as beneficial tools."

"And isn't it in the people's best interest that Finley is ousted and you take his place? Think about your men, Pepper. They fought so hard in the war only to be forgotten when they returned. Finley's policies have failed them. They are too socialist; suckling an entire nation on the teat of the government when it should be left to the free market. Your soldiers need a new purpose and someone to lead them. They can't reacclimate into the workforce at the drop of a hat. They need a new cause."

"A…new cause?" Pepper echoed in disbelief.

Fredersen leaned out over the balcony, bracing his strong arms on the railing. "Did you ever devote much thought to how Andross so swiftly conquered the System? Well, I have. I've been thinking about it since the War came to our very doorstep. It's because Lylat was divided. Corneria didn't maintain an army besides a small, localized defense force. We were unprepared, and didn't look much further than our own neighborhood in a cosmic sense of the word. We were isolationists, all of us. Corneria fled underground in times of crises. The Aquans kept to themselves, hiding beneath the waves in subaquatic cities. On Macbeth the manufacturers protected their workers in the mines and underground forges. The Titanians hid beneath the sand. The Fortunans, under the treetops. The Zonessians in their yachts and refugee cruisers. And look where it got us. It took a gravedigger like Andross to exhume us all from our hovels and unite us. But after the War ended, what did we do? We all returned home again, to deal with our own troubles. We forgot the camaraderie and the bonds we just forged. Lylat is stronger together. An opportunity like this will only come once in a lifetime. We must unite in solidarity to face the future and build a better System."

"And your solution to all this is…Project Guiding Light?"

He nodded. "Guiding Light will tie our lifelines together – under Cornerian supervision, and that of the United Planets of Lylat, of course."

The canine's eyebrows narrowed. "Alright then, enough grand-standing. What is it you want me to do? What was the purpose of all this?"

"My offer still stands, Pepper. I want you to lead a military coup against President Finley. The dog's health is failing; he doesn't make for a strong leader like you, and his socialist policies are universally worrying corporate Corneria. Your troops will surely flock to your call, and my banks will pay off their war bonuses while financing further endeavors. We're not executing Finley, and if everything plays out right, not a single drop of blood will be shed."

Pepper knew the answer to his next question already, but still had to ask. "And if I don't lead them for you?"

Fredersen shrugged. "Like I said, you can easily be replaced, and we will pay _them_ off instead. But I admire you, Pepper; the whole System does, and _that_ admiration is not easily replaced. But it's easier to destroy than build up; a single moment versus years of tireless work. You didn't dedicate your life to Corneria to see it all go to waste."

"I see I don't have much of a choice." The hound looked down at the tiled floor, brow knitting as he thought. "Morgan, Yaru…I'll never forgive you for this betrayal. Till the end of my life, I will go on hating you, looking for ways to escape your vice. I trust Finley about as much as I trust you, which isn't flattering. But…if this will save my men when everyone else has failed them…I can't turn my back on them. I'll do what you want…but I have my limits, even at the sacrifice of my own honor."

The bull finally turned around to face Pepper, smiling.

"Thank you, my General. Once we make our move it will be over before you know it; quick and painless."

"Just one more question, if you will. Is Edison in on it?"

Fredersen suddenly frowned, his nose twitching.

"About Mr. Phoenix…"

X

 _Author's Notes:_

 _It's been awhile since I've said hey to you guys. I just wanted to thank everyone who's read the story this far, and to inform you that the end of this chapter marks the halfway point of Arc II. I kinda suck at gauging how long something will be. Right now, Arc I spans through chapter 12, so this arc will end up being over twice as long as the first. I dunno, I just sat down and looked at what I had planned for the story and hoo boy, this is going to be a lot of work to write – and of course for you to read. So again, thank you to everyone who's made it this far, and special thanks to those that leave their comments. I enjoy hearing back from people and I try to respond to each review since they all deserve responses._

 _Anyway, see you all next chapter; it's an exciting one that I'm really looking forward to writing, and of course getting to show._


	29. New Gods

X

Mission No. 29

Cerinia  
Altaira Valley Mountains

New Gods

X

A blanket of storm clouds draped across Altaira valley today, both comforting the village dwellers as a shield, yet also darkening their moods. They loomed so thick and low they swallowed the surrounding mountain peaks with gloom.

As Mother Namah padded up the gravel path winding through the cliff, she walked through a sea of suspended droplets; the fog dampening the folds of her blue and purple robe. The clouds were so dense there was no visual way for her to tell that she had arrived at the summit – except of course that her mind could feel the top of the mountain itself. The broad peak stood crowned by a circlet of sharp rocks, resembling the spiny back of a snapping turtle. The villagers had hollowed out a small area in the center for private meditation sessions, where one of the elders and her pupil could escape to be alone.

When the matron came to the top of the ridge and looked down, she saw Krystal waiting for her on one of two stone seats, legs crossed and tail flicking restlessly behind her.

"Mother Namah," she greeted while nodding her head.

The climb left her a bit short of breath. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Krystal." The elder took her place across from the other vixen on the second stone seat. Carefully she folded her legs and arranged the folds of her robe into place. "Have you kept up your meditation sessions since last we met?"

"Yes Mother, as well as the mandalas and stretches – every day!"

"Good; you have much to be proud of. But today we will dispense with those habits and focus on the mind. While postures and physical rituals can be beneficial, one should not solely rely on them. Even in the midst of great adversity you should be able to find inner peace."

Krystal looked around the meditation hallow. The oppressive storm felt miserable as it saturated their clothing and fur with chilling mist; it even blocked out the normally picturesque view of the village below, obscuring their entire surroundings in a veil of uncertainty. The ground lay strewn with sharpened rock fragments, and their bumpy seats weren't exactly carved with comfort in mind.

"Is that why you brought me up here?"

Namah smiled. "Yes. No matter where you are throughout your day, whether safe here in the village, or in the hands of your enemies, the unconsciousness of your mind is a safe haven to retreat to. So please, forget that I am here, and let us both be at rest."

The elder closed her eyes and folded her hands in her lap, touching the tips of her thumbs. She could feel Krystal do the same, but…she hesitated at first, which Namah took note of.

For the moment they meditated in silence. The wind picked up as the storm drew closer, whistling over the gaps in the rocks and ruffling their pelts and clothes, and with it came an unrelenting coldness. The distant village disappeared, leaving the two alone in the grey void.

In the silence Namah focused on her breathing, but also attuned herself to Krystal's feelings. She sensed loneliness, even though the girl shared her presence. Beneath that, unrest. Confusion.

"Is something bothering you, my daughter?"

Krystal shifted almost imperceptibly on her stone. "Oh no, it's nothing."

For awhile the matron could feel her suppressing the darker thoughts, and the hushed whispers ceased to leak through. Then Krystal broke the silence again.

"Mother Namah, have you ever been… _one_ with someone?"

The question caught her off-guard. There were two ways Namah could interpret the question, so she had to tread lightly with her response. "You are inquiring about the _mauri,_ the universal soul common to all Cerinians?"

At this point both women opened their eyes, giving up the act of meditation.

"…Yes, in a way. If the walls we can touch and see are just an illusion that separates us from one another, is it possible for two people to become one again?"

Namah had been worried Krystal was getting at this. "No," she answered, "you can never truly become one with someone else. That would be to forsake your own identity, your thoughts, your memories, and everything that makes you, _you._ There are parts of your being that you need to hold onto, and parts you need to protect the other from. It simply isn't possible."

Krystal looked at her with earnest eyes. "But-but have you ever… _tried_?"

That gave Namah pause. She stared down at the carpet of shale and rubble, remembering how it had once been. She sighed deeply; there were things even she tried to forget.

Looking back at Krystal, she said, "There are some questions in life that…we will never find the answers to. I understand that you are new to this world and inquiring is how you learn about it, but entertaining such questions will cause you naught but confusion and inner torture, and they are best left unasked."

Krystal's shoulders slumped and her head tilted down. "Oh…"

"Please, use this opportunity we have to seek peace. Whatever it is that's troubling you; lay it aside. It is only a burden weighing you down."

"Yes, Mother." Krystal closed her eyes again and Namah followed suit. But no matter how hard the girl tried, her tutor sensed she couldn't concentrate. Whatever lay at the heart of the issue was eating her up inside.

Carefully, so as not to alert Krystal to her advance, Namah brushed up against her mind. She eased herself in so slowly as to be unnoticeable. She had to know what was at the core of her troubles, and how deeply its roots dug in.

As Namah expected, the girl's mind broiled as dark and as cloudy as the storm about them. On just the surface she could feel coldness seeping from her soul. Her mind's eye saw before itself visions of mazelike tunnels that twisted in on themselves in never-ending fractal patterns. Some sort of bonds locked her in place. Cold and metallic. Chains…

Yet she sensed another presence, as if it were its own separate being. It slunk in the shadows, far away in the wastes of her mind where the light of recollection seldom touched. Though it tread far from them, and mountains of protection stood between them and the beast, with every moment it wandered a little closer…

The current of Krystal's emotions surged unexpectedly, plunging Namah deeper into her troubling thoughts – they were practically tearing her up from the inside out, and close to overflowing.

Namah gasped and pulled herself back out, opening her eyes once again. The storm clouds seemed to be coalescing all around them, swirling in a spiral shape around the mountain peak. Krystal appeared to be immune to the effect she was having, though her brow furrowed worriedly and her breathing became louder and more erratic with each passing second.

Yet there was more than wind and fog in the air. Namah could sense a tension rising as well, invisible to the eye alone. A violent force pulled taught between the very atoms it permeated. As her mind screamed danger, the Cerinian placed invisible hands all along her body, protecting her vitals from being torn asunder.

Then, in an instant, it all came to a head. A flash of light and a peal of thunder shook the entire mountain beneath their seats. Every rock on the peak split into tiny shards, exploding outwards in clouds of dust. Namah instinctively threw up a protective shield of force around herself, turning away the brunt of the rubble just in time. The roar echoed across the valley, dying out as the rain of rocks – now less than pebbles – fell to the ground like hail. The matron slipped backwards off her seat and onto the gravel, staring at Krystal with opened jaw and fearful eyes.

But her expression was mirrored on the vixen's face; Krystal was just as shocked as she.

Clutching at the stones behind her, but keeping her wary eyes on Krystal, Namah retreated a few feet back.

 _Who was this girl?_

X

" _Tashich höku kanosie."_

Bill looked up at the sensory deprivation tank. Those were the first words 19 had spoken in the past hour, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. He looked at Dr. Makepeace, who had scooted to the edge of her seat in anticipation.

"19 says she 'hears her,'" she translated, excitement in her voice.

Both captain and scientist rose from their chairs to huddle around the orb. Miyu, Fay, Baines, and every other officer in the bridge breathlessly stole glances their way as well, though they didn't abandon their posts. Makepeace pressed the talk button on the exterior comm and asked a question in Venomian, with 19's boxy voice returning an answer through the speakers.

"She says #28 is in pain. She heard her cry out…"

"Where? Where is she?!" Bill demanded, allowing hope to finally shine through.

Makepeace relayed the question and observed a thermographic feed of the chamber's interior. She saw 19's red outline lift an arm and point. "That direction. She says we're closer than we've ever been before," Makepeace told Bill. "I can't be any more specific than that – she only heard a single outburst, but it was _definitely_ her."

"30 degrees left!" Bill ordered. "Decrease altitude to 700 feet and pull in low – I don't want Fox spotting us till the last moment."

The horizon outside the windscreen shifted to the right as the _Justice_ came to bear. They descended to cruise several hundred feet above a desert of black sand that stretched for miles into the hazy distance. While a hopeless malaise had descended over the crew in past weeks, the discovery of the trail reinvigorated them with new energy. Bill knew his men well; their excitement was so palpable he could feel it in the air. It felt good to be on the hunt again.

"Captain, geologic formations dead ahead! They're directly in our path," the sensors officer reported.

Surprised, Bill looked out the window along their present course. As the officer had warned, several strange formations blocked their path. Midnight blue crystals now towered above what once had been nothing but flat desert. The shards were monstrous – nearly as tall as some of the first skyscrapers in Corneria City.

"Full stop!" Bill ordered. "Why didn't you warn me about those sooner?"

"They didn't show up on any of our scanners sir, at least – not until now."

The bulldog furrowed his brow. "That would suggest they were cloaked…or they simply weren't there a few seconds ago."

For a few tense seconds, all eyes on the bridge turned to the crystalline formations. The teeth-like shards exuded an eerie aura, unsettling Bill along with everyone else.

Makepeace grabbed his arm, her fingers tightening around his wrist. "Turn the ship back."

He shook her hand off. "We can't turn back now – not when we finally have a lead-!"

"NOW!"

Gritting his teeth Bill called out, "Reverse engines!"

But just as the _Justice_ began to drift backwards, the entire ship shook. A high-pitched metallic grating pierced their ears like claws on chalkboard, coming from beneath the ship's hull. And within a few moments, they slowed to a stop.

"We seem to have run aground," Bill forced through gritted teeth.

The sensors officer hurried to display a view from beneath the ship's keel. The hologram revealed several of the spires had risen from the desert like fingers to sink into the underside of the _Justice,_ locking her in place. Bill crossed his arms and scratched his chin, studying the camera feed.

"Gunnery Sergeant, try blasting us free."

"Yes sir!" The sergeant aimed the underside turrets at the dark crystals holding them in place, then primed them. Once the cannons built up enough energy, he released it in twin beams of blinding yellow light. But nearly faster than the crew's eyes could follow, the lasers reflected off the crystals' facets and ricocheted away, bouncing into other spires till they reflected back onto the _Justice_ itself. The ship lurched slightly, but the blast wasn't powerful enough to pierce a cruiser's armor.

"No good sir; they're made from a reflective material."

 _If we keep up a steady enough stream we could melt them,_ Bill thought to himself. _Though explosive ordinance might do the job more efficiently-_

" _Sieka seinsu koher,"_ 19 warned.

Makepeace's ears perked, and she frowned.

"What?" Bill asked. "What did she say?"

"It's too late. 'They're here…'"

Before either of them could inquire further, two distinct jolts rattled the ship.

"Harrison, what hit us this time?" Bill asked the bridge engineer.

Harrison quickly scanned the hull diagnostics for a report of the damage. "Unknown, sir. Two blunt objects – most likely kinetic projectiles – appear to have struck our forward keel: starboard side. Bringing shields online now."

The lights in the bridge briefly flickered as the energy shields started up, accompanied by a whine that climbed in pitch till it escaped the hearing range of normal Lylatians.

"Point of origin?" Bill interrogated the sensors officer.

"All we know is that the attack came from below us. Preliminary scans haven't identified aircraft or ground-based AA guns."

After his men failed him, Bill turned to Makepeace. "Any ideas, Doctor?"

"It's unlikely a jet; militaries are defunct, and Cerinians hadn't developed weaponized spacecraft before the holocaust."

Bill rolled his eyes. "I don't need to know what it _isn't_ …"

Before his frustration could grow any further, 19 urgently said something in Venomian. It seemed to confirm Makepeace's fears, and she translated.

"She says two Cerinians are outside the ship."

Bill's heart plunged into his stomach – they'd finally been noticed by someone with a bone to pick. Now was their first true test as the crew of the _Justice_.

He spoke to the sensors officer again. "Scan for smaller heat sigs – not much larger than drones."

The crewman directed his attention down at the monitor and repeated the scans, this time picking up smaller signatures. He looked back up at Bill and nodded. "You're right; two heat sources at approximately 5 o'clock, 600 feet off the ground."

Miyu rushed over to the officer's monitor, eyeing the minuscule pair of rainbow-splotches. "So they have jet packs or…?"

Makepeace shook her head. "No. Whoever they are possesses telekinesis and simply figured out how to fly."

The lynx's eyes grew wide. "They're _flying?!"_

A third _thump_ sounded, but this time the shield shrugged off the mystery projectile.

Makepeace looked down through the deck as if she could see straight through it. "They're knocking…"

Bill set off marching for the bridge door. "Then it's time we answered them. Lieutenants Lynx and Spaniel: bring flight group A from each of your units. We're going out there. Baines: you're in charge of the ship while we're gone. Provide us support. Makepeace: get 19 back to the cargo hold. The bridge is no place for her during an operation, but stay on call in case I need assistance."

Before he could leave, Makepeace grabbed his arm again. "Captain…"

He paused and turned to look at her, heart pounding in his chest.

"Never underestimate a Cerinian. Your ships will not keep you safe from them."

Bill searched her teal eyes for a moment, discerning that she wasn't exaggerating. The danger was very real.

"Noted, Doctor."

X

On their way to the hangar alarms blared throughout the ship. Baines' voice came over the 1MC to call general quarters and order Miyu and Fay's A flights to their ships. It had been a month since their last scramble against Fox, and four since the battle over Venom. The klaxons and rush of activity excited Bill, energizing his steps with renewed purpose.

By the time they reached the hangar the crew had their ships ready for action; the captain's personal fighter, those of the two commanders, and the eight ships of their respective flight groups. Bill marched to his tan-and-green painted fighter and swung himself into the cockpit, double-checking his systems while the windscreen closed over him.

As he primed the engines, Baines' voice spoke over their private channel. _"Good luck out there, Bill. No one knows what you're going up against."_

Bill lifted his fighter off the deck and gently noised for the hangar gates. "Thanks, Lieutenant, but I have a faint idea."

His ship passed through the atmospheric forcefield and dropped into open air. He pulled the fighter back up to fly just beneath the _Justice,_ but was surprised to see a veritable forest of crystal spires surrounding the immediate airspace. It reminded him of some of the unexplained geologic armaments Andross deployed during the final battle; more and more sprang up the longer they stayed. The midnight blue crystals pricked the _Justice_ from multiple angles, locking her in place. He could initiate breaking the ship's bonds now, but for the moment that wasn't his objective. His target was a pair of minuscule, Lylatian-sized figures floating in open space not too far from the cruiser.

Following behind Bill emerged Fay, Miyu, and eight of their squadrons' best pilots. It was time he took command.

Bill caught up with Fay and assumed his place in front of her group. "Lieutenant Spaniel and members of Husky Squadron, follow me. We'll begin a counter-clockwise rotation around the Cerinians. Lynx's squadron, fly beneath us in the opposite direction."

The pilots did as he commanded, circling the enemies like vultures. Bill zoomed in on the pair of targets, magnifying their image several times from afar. It was fuzzy, but it confirmed they really were just people flying hundreds of feet above the ground – all on their own. Their rag-like clothing hung off their bodies, billowing like capes in the wind. The two of them turned left and right, visibly confused by the swarm of Cornerian fighters and their whirlwind-like flight pattern.

" _Ah, shit!"_ one of Miyu's men exclaimed. His wing clipped the side of a crystal, but cut right through. The formation splintered into a billion sparkling pieces from the top down, raining to the desert below like hail. Though jostled, the pilot recovered.

" _Whew, I'm fine. The crystals seem fragile enough."_

" _Be careful,"_ Miyu urged. _"They may be sturdier from more direct angles – and remember to avoid hitting them with lasers, or they might reflect into friendlies."_

" _Watch it Husky Leader, incoming projectile!"_

Fay nosed her ship up just in time. A boulder whizzed underneath her ship and smashed into a spire behind her, disintegrating the top half.

" _Thanks, Husky 2!"_

" _Now we know what hit us earlier,"_ Miyu pointed out. _"They've just been chucking rocks at us."_

Bill looked at the magnification screen again, identifying a swarm of levitating boulders and stones directly beneath the Cerinians. Every second they raised more up from the desert below, increasing their supply.

"Begin attacking in shifts," Bill commanded. "Fly off in pairs. Pull back through the forest before turning inwards and buzzing them at the same time – and be careful."

" _Roger that."_

" _It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel!"_

"Don't let your guard down!" he warned them. After his short talk with Makepeace he feared their confidence would come back to bite them.

Two ships from opposite sides broke formation and disappeared beyond the crystals before momentarily returning to cross the open space. Their green lasers flashed downwards at the Cerinians, but Bill saw the dark specks hover to the side, effortlessly dodging them.

" _Damn it. They're too small! Targeting can't hold a lock. You best just pray you get lucky when it's your turn."_

"Next pair!" Bill barked.

Two more fighters buzzed the Cerinians, once again raining fire on them. This time they were ready – the boulders rose up to provide a protective shield on either side of them. The Cornerians' lasers merely glanced off or shattered the rocks into puffs of dust, harmlessly. When one of the pilots passed right by the pair, a boulder rose up and smashed his wing, denting it.

" _Ugh, hit one!"_ his ship wobbled for a second, but managed to regain altitude.

"Let's one-up them," Bill said. "Husky 3, Bulldog 3, we'll all go at once. Now break!"

" _Copy that, sir!"_

Their three ships broke off from the twin circles. Bill wove easily between the towering crystals until he pulled around one in a tight loop, coming back in above the circling squadrons. "Beginning attack run!"

Each of the Cornerians approached at 120-degree angles from each other, strafing their enemy during partial dives. The intent was to attack from more sides than they could handle at once. Bill picked one of the Cerinians out and concentrated his fire on them – but they were nimble and not much of a target. He grit his teeth and clenched his hands around the control stick, but his shots always fell just behind them, glancing off the stalks of crystals and landing in the desert below. If only they were Venomian pilots or Starwolf, this would be so much easier…

The sound of the firing cannons in his ears was so loud that the sharp _crack_ barely registered with him.

" _Bill, watch out above you!"_ Miyu exclaimed.

The canine tore his attention from the Cerinian target in time to see a shadow fall over his ship. His eyes widened: the top half of one of the spires had broken off – or was _snapped_ off – and flying directly towards him. But Bill forced his control stick into an even faster dive than the falling javelin, buying more time before he rolled to the left. Before he reached the blackened dunes he pulled up, and the monstrous length of the crystal plummeted past him. It flew so close he could see his own ship's reflection in its facets before it struck the ground and shattered into glistening flecks.

"Watch it! They're controlling the crystals. They can bring down any one around you without-"

Before his very eyes, the grains of sand ahead of his flight path kicked up in a frenzy. They collapsed in on themselves, becoming white hot until they formed a needle-shaped structure, solidifying into yet another crystal when they cooled. Bill veered off from the spire, but it wasn't made for him. It shot straight upwards like a lance, spearing through one of Fay's fighters.

" _Husky 2!"_ she cried.

No response came from the skewered ship. As the engines petered out and gravity kicked in, it simply fell with the crystalline spear to the ground below.

Bill heard Fay's growls over the comm. _"Husky 4, with me!"_

The pair of ships turned from opposite sides of the clearing and strafed the Cerinians a fourth time, now with fiery aggression. One of the Cerinians seemed to hide behind the other, a fact not lost on Bill as he spectated the attack. But as Fay closed in, the wings just snapped off Husky 3's fighter.

" _What the-?!"_

The pilot's channel erupted in a horrific metal screeching sound as a pair of invisible hands seemed to crush the ship. What was left of the mangled carcass abruptly changed course and veered for Fay, who had to break off of her run at the last second.

" _NO!"_

Things weren't going well; they'd already lost two men, with a third nearly decommissioned, and Bill was struggling to come up with ways to defeat a foe the likes of which no one had ever faced before – an enemy who could potentially do anything they wanted.

"Bulldog unit, launch missiles – manually set target type as if you were shooting down drones."

Flashes emitted from all sides of the circle as five missiles simultaneously left Bulldog unit's ships. They raced towards the center of the circle leaving trails of white smoke in their wake. This time the other Cerinian seemed to take a stand, raising a sea of rocks and boulders in a protective shield around them. Each of the five missiles exploded upon impact with the debris, and the resulting waves of fire seemed to unnaturally direct themselves upwards and away from their targets.

Cursing, Bill let loose a missile of his own, directing it manually towards the fading explosion. They shouldn't be able to see it through the brilliance of the previous fireworks display – there wasn't time. Bill held his breath as his missile darted into the scattering flames…but there was no second explosion. Instead the smoke cleared to reveal the missile violently quivering in place a few meters away from the pair of Cerinians, still spewing fumes. Then his heart sank as it slowly turned in place.

"It's coming back!" he warned.

Instead of shooting for him it raced back to where he had fired it from – directly towards Miyu's fighter.

" _It's on me!"_ she cried while trying to evade.

Bill hurried through a number of context menus on his dashboard before locating the manual detonation option. He slammed his fist on the control screen and looked back at Miyu, praying he was in time. The missile burst directly beside her fuselage, seeming to engulf it in flames. Bill leaned forward in his seat and yelled, "MIYU!"

The smoke eventually rolled off her ship like a dying phantom, revealing its blackened and mangled right half. The ship began to nose into a dive.

" _I…c…n't pul…u..!"_ Miyu's radio crackled.

It was enough to give Bill hope. "Eject!" he exclaimed. "Ditch your ship _now!"_

But he couldn't watch to see if she made it. Her ship fell out of sight below them, and he had to keep his eyes trained on the Cerinians for their next attack. He needed to stay calm for the rest of his men, as much as he hated losing Miyu.

"Enough passive aggressive attacks. We need more space to safely maneuver without running into the crystals or each other. Use your missiles to knock down the crystals, but whatever you do, don't give them time to take control of them. We have the numbers: let's overwhelm them."

The remaining fighter craft did as Bill commanded, using their missiles to shatter the crystals and clear a wider space around the _Justice;_ but it seemed like every time they leveled a spire-shaped tower, the same Cerinian would form another one to take its place. In the meantime the other grew restless…

" _One of them's moving! They're headed straight for us!"_

Bill watched in horror as the miniscule figure landed directly on Bulldog 4's ship and ripped his canopy clear off.

" _Help me! He's-"_ But the Cerinian grabbed the pilot by the scruff of the neck and tore him right from the cockpit, severing his radio connection. The empty ship blindly continued on its course until it rammed directly through a crystal, tumbling nose-over-tailfin to the desert floor. Meanwhile the Cerinian carried the flailing pilot hundreds of feet up to the top of the crystal forest. For one breathless moment he hovered in place, watching the ships below like insignificant gnats as the hapless soldier flailed his arms and legs. Then they simply dropped him…onto the waiting spire below. The needle-thin crystal impaled the pilot's torso as his momentum carried him several feet down its length, painting it red. Bill's stomach churned as the Cerinian perched atop the crystal, as if gloating over his prey.

That left them with seven ships out of their original eleven…

"Fay," his broken voice began, shook by what he had just witnessed, "we need a plan. I think our enemy is playing different roles. The Cerinian up above is the sword, while the one below is the shield. If we can kill the one forming the crystals first, we'll rob the attacker of their defense. Then we might stand a chance."

" _Sounds like a plan,"_ Fay breathed heavily, tiring of evading the Cerinian on the offensive.

"They're separated for the moment, so now's our best shot. Husky and Bulldog units, I want you to keep it that way. Take turns buzzing the Cerinian up top – keep 'em busy, but don't let 'em get close to you. Lieutenant Spaniel and I will eliminate the other one, then we'll have the _Justice_ destroy the remaining crystals and clear the battlefield. Do you copy?"

Their comm link was flooded with "yessirs!"

While the other five ships gained altitude to pester the attacker, Bill explained the rest of his plan to Fay. "The other Cerinian is no good on their own. I want you to go after the attacker like everyone else, but use it as a cover to get between the defender and the sun. I'll attack from below."

" _But I might hit you!"_ Fay protested.

"It's alright, my ship can take it – the _Cerinian_ can't. Now, off you go, Lieutenant!"

"For Miyu?"

"…For Miyu."

Bill and Fay separated, with the spaniel pursuing the rest of the pilots towards the attacker. Bill meanwhile dove low beneath the other Cerinian, positioning himself so that the sun glared directly behind them. When he began climbing up from the desert, proximity warnings alerted him to something behind him. Glancing at a rear-view feed, he noticed several molten-hot tornadoes of sand beginning to form spear-like crystals beneath him. When they plunged skywards at his ship he jammed his control stick to violently dodge left and right, avoiding each by the skin of his teeth.

Closer and closer he flew towards the Cerinian, but his ship suddenly came to an abrupt halt. The stop gave him whiplash; Bill momentarily rose from his seat before being flung back into it. Then his fighter began rising on its own, lifted slowly the rest of the way by some invisible force. Bill jerked the stick in every direction he could think of – he even set his reverse thrusters to full, risking tearing his own ship apart, but it didn't stop his ascent.

 _Fay better save me quick…_

He switched to targeting control and fired his ship's cannons point blank at the waiting enemy, but both of the barrels inexplicably bent back until they snapped uselessly off.

The Cerinian brought him up so close that he could see their face – _her_ face. The vixen's fur was dirty and as dark blue as the sands below them. Filthy rags that had once been a dress now covered her, and a sheet billowed from her shoulders like a cloak. Her emerald eyes seemed to gleam as she stared tauntingly at him, the rest of her figure silhouetted by the blinding sun.

A voice spoke in his mind, and it wasn't his own. Bill had never felt anything like it before – not even with #19. He couldn't understand the woman's words, but he knew their meaning all the same.

" _So you're the captain of this force; soldiers for the nation that destroyed my planet. Perhaps I should curse you, but then again I wouldn't be a god without you. As thanks I will make your death swifter than most."_

The pressure in Bill's cockpit sky-rocketed, as if he were floating thousands of feet beneath Corneria's oceans. It felt like his bones would snap, his ribs would soon cave, and his skull was about to burst in two. But Bill stared defiantly into the Cerinian's mirthful eyes, turning the air sucked out from his lungs into a scream.

Then she seemed to notice something in the reflection on Bill's canopy, and her hold on him loosened. The canine looked over the woman's shoulder to see a black shadow separating from the blinding rays of the sun.

As if reading his mind, the Cerinian turned and shielded her eyes with an arm to look.

She was too late.

A spray of green lasers struck her, smattering bits and pieces of her body down upon Bill's canopy. The force crushing Bill vanished, and he fell back into his seat, gulping in air. When his ship began to fall, Bill shook off the aching feeling in his bones and took control. As he climbed back to a safe altitude streaks of blood and clumps of fur blew off the sides of his windscreen. He'd been that close to death himself, but he felt not much better seeing the vixen's remains lost to the wind either.

" _Bill, are you alright?!"_ Fay exclaimed.

When he finally recovered the ability to speak, he gasped, "You were just in time, Fay! Looks like they aren't so immortal after all. But I can rest later; we're not done yet." Bill switched channels to hail the _Justice._ "Alright Baines, shatter what's left of the crystals – they won't be re-growing anytime soon!"

 _"Aye-aye, Skipper!"_

Panels on the sides of the _Justice_ flipped open, revealing rows upon rows of missile silos. One after the other, the projectiles ignited and took flight, racing towards the nearest spires. As each missile struck its target, brilliant orange bursts reflected off the facets of the remaining crystals, till those too shattered. Soon all that was left of the forest were showering flecks of light that rained back down to the sand they came from like clouds of confetti.

After the debris cleared, Bill looked around to count his men. It seemed they had lost one more to the Cerinian, leaving four ships besides himself and Fay – barely more than half the number they'd begun with.

"Well, did you get the other one?" Bill asked.

" _No sir, sad to say we played a game of cat and mouse the entire time. They got Bulldog 2 since his ship was damaged…"_

The canid searched all around them for the missing Cerinian. But when the dust settled, he was nowhere to be found.

"You mean you _lost_ him?!"

" _Y-yes, sir! I don't know where he went. One moment he was chasing me, then the next he just…vanished."_

Bill's knuckles trembled as he gripped the control stick. He wanted to make both Cerinians pay for the deaths of his men, but that chance was robbed from him.

Suddenly the comm channel to the _Justice_ opened, emitting the frantic voice of the bridge communications officer. _"Captain Grey, one of them's on the ship! He made it on the ship! He's in the bridge right-ACK-"_

Bill was horrified to hear a succession of choking sounds escape the officer's mouth, then nothing else. In the background he could faintly hear a voice yelling in a language he didn't understand, as well as the raised voices of the bridge crew. Then, static.

"He's on the ship…" Bill informed his fellow pilots.

" _Oh god,"_ Fay breathed.

X

Most of the pilots returned to the hangar, but Bill left two outside to continue patrolling around the _Justice;_ he couldn't be sure there weren't other Cerinians in the area. Once inside they left their ships in the hands of the hangar crew and formed a party to storm the bridge. They made a hasty march through the ship's steel corridors, which felt longer than ever to Bill. He shuddered to think what the Cerinian might be doing to the bridge crew, and if there'd be anyone left…

They reached the gate. The soldiers formed two rows; those in front kneeling, those in back standing, with everyone's weapons primed and aimed. Bill stood at the forefront, staring down the scope of his blaster at the crack between the twin panels, even before they had parted.

"Fire as soon as you see him," Bill instructed. "Don't give him a chance to react. We might not have another one…" He trailed off and nodded to Fay who stood by the wall. She dipped her head back and pressed the button to open the gate.

Accompanied by the hiss of hydraulics, the doors split apart, revealing the bridge's interior. None of the crew appeared to be standing; only the Cerinian in his decaying clothes at the other side of the deck. As soon as Bill identified his telltale figure through the parting gates, he opened fire – but the Cerinian had heard the doors hissing. The whites of his eyes shone when he recognized the threat. The instant Bill and the rest of the Cornerians opened fire, a floor panel tore free from the deck and stood like a wall between them, absorbing each of the blasts.

"Kei, kei, kei!" a condescending voice yelled over the din of the laser blasts. "Tatari!"

Bill cursed and signaled for his men to move into the bridge, but the steel panel suddenly dropped to the floor with a clang. From the side of the gate, Fay found herself whisked forward as if by horizontal gravity. She came to hover squarely between the Cerinian and the soldiers, twisting around to face them. She kicked and struggled in midair, but her boots couldn't even scuff the ground, and her arms felt pinned to her side; she couldn't raise them to lift her weapon at the enemy.

Horrified, the men held off firing.

"What are you waiting for?" Fay screeched. "Don't stop now! _Shoot him!"_

Afraid he was about to witness Fay be crushed as he had nearly been, Bill strafed to the side till he could safely fire at the Cerinian without hitting his friend. But as soon as he raised the blaster it was ripped straight from his fingers. Instinctively he grabbed for it, but it clattered to the floor and came to a stop at the Cerinian's feet.

" _Tatari!"_ the intruder screamed, _"rānei Ahau neke ia tuaiwi!"_

The words seemed to resonate within Bill's mind, as if echoing from every direction at once. He dropped to a knee and clutched his head, trying to make the voice leave. Yet, even though he didn't recognize the words, he somehow grasped their meaning; involuntarily imagining the Cerinian tearing Fay's spine straight from her back.

In response, or perhaps not even of their own accord, his men dropped their rifles, and they slid across the floor towards the Cerinian as well. A sizable pile was accumulating at his cloth-wrapped feet. Now that his immediate enemies were disarmed, he pulled Fay across the bridge till she hovered locked in front of him. He held the barrel of one of the blasters against the canine's head and scanned the room's interior with a crazed look on his face.

" _Hand over the rest of your weapons!"_ he ordered. _"Hide nothing!"_ Once again he spoke in a completely alien language to Bill, but he managed to translate the words without thinking.

One-by-one he made eye contact with the crew, and the soldiers clutched their heads or closed their eyes. Their last remaining weapons flew free from their concealed holsters and sheaths and clattered to the ground in front of the Cerinian. Finally he glanced at Bill, and the Captain felt a strange presence picking through his mind. He worried the Cerinian might discover the knife tucked away in his boot, and as soon as the thought entered his head the intruder smiled. The blade ripped free of its hidden sheath and fell atop the ever-growing pile.

The presence didn't leave. The memory of the Cerinian woman blown to bits played before Bill's mind, and the male before him seemed to react to it. He pressed the gun tighter against Fay's temple, his trembling hand causing it to shake.

" _So, you are the captain of this…spaceship. You were the one who killed my beautiful Hime. She was my other half; my partner, my lover, my queen! My Lilith! She was to be the mother of all the new Cerinians from which we would rebuild our society and our people! Yet with one heartless act you crushed the dream we had together!"_

Seeming to tire of holding the gun, the Cerinian dropped to his knees, weeping – though the blaster remained floating in the air, pressed against Fay's head. He cried and shook himself back and forth, unsettling Bill and everyone else in the bridge that looked on, who exchanged glances. To think that they were at his mercy now…

Finally the Cerinian sniffed and wiped his nose with a tattered sleeve. He rose back to his feet and resumed holding the gun. _"You know, Captain, I should take something of yours in return. All I have to do is pull this trigger, and just like that: poof! Her life would be snuffed out. I know she's the only thing standing between myself and imminent death, but with a snap of my fingers I could replace her with another hostage. But I doubt it would make us even. A man in your position probably has dozens of lovers fawning over him. Yet all I had is my one Hime, and my love for her runs deeper than anything you could feel towards a woman."_ He shook Fay, violently. _"So, how about it? Is she your lover?...No?..._ Really?" He lowered the gun again and looked down at the floor dejectedly. _"Then it wouldn't be the same…"_

Bill released a breath, relieved he wouldn't shoot Fay – at least for the moment. From the way the Cerinian acted he might decapitate all of them on a whim.

He took a minute to study his adversary closely. His fur was a dull metallic blue color, and looked caked with dust and sand. His tunic was white but dirty, and bore numerous holes; it didn't appear much more than an undergarment. His pants looked baggy and too comfortable to be worn outside, but here he was, standing in them anyway. Draped over his shoulders he wore a makeshift black cape – as if he'd pulled it straight from a dumpster or a thrift store. Its hem bunched in tatters on the ground behind him.

The man mirrored his curiosity, studying Bill with glittering, suspicious black eyes.

"Who are you?" the canine finally asked.

Thankfully – or perhaps unfortunately – the Cerinian understood him. _"I'll just overlook the fact that you nearly asked 'what' am I. I am Ariki, lord of…whatever's left. As you can see, there's not much we have anymore. Cerinia is a wasteland as far as Lilith's light touches – which is pretty much everywhere. That's why I find it so strange that your people have returned at all. Tell me, Captain, who are_ you, _and what could possibly bring you back to Cerinia? Is it to gloat over our misfortune? I bet it's to gloat."_

Bill rose to his feet and stood defiantly in front of the Cerinian. "I'm Captain Grey of the Cornerian Defense Force. The ship you boarded is the _Justice_."

" _Odd for a 'defense force' to wander so far from home."_ Ariki looked him up and down. _"Spiffy uniform. I would have dressed better, but when the funeral is for the whole world, no one's left to care. 'Grey, Grey…' like the color of your fur. And ashes. Do you have a first name? No need to be so formal."_

The canine raised an eyebrow. "My first name is-"

" _-Bill? It sounds strange, but of course it does."_

The canid stared back at him in surprise. "So you can read minds?"

" _You mean you_ can't _?"_

"And you can remotely control matter…I have a hard time believing someone like you exists, even though you're standing right in front of me. How did you get onto the bridge? Can you phase through walls as well?"

Ariki merely pointed up, and Bill followed his finger to see a circular hole cut in the viewing window. Now that silence filled the room, he finally picked out the sound of the wind whistling over the breach.

"Oh…"

" _Yeah, sorry about that. I can fix it…I think. But you didn't answer my other question; what brings you to Cerinia this fine day?"_

Bill set his jaw firmly. "I can't tell you that."

Ariki laughed once and twisted a finger in his mangled ear. _"I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say you 'can't tell me that.' Did we have a miscommunication? Did one of us read the other's intent wrong? Because…"_ He re-positioned the gun against Fay's head again, and she swallowed. _"…I still have your…_ 'friend' _at gunpoint, and I'd hate to have to kill her over something as unimportant as this, but so help me I'll – nah, it's not even worth it. I'll just read your mind again."_

Ariki finally released his invisible hold on Fay and stepped over to Bill. He lay a paw on the captain's head, who tried not to flinch. With his other hand he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, as if he were performing at a magic show. _"Go ahead! Try_ not _to think of it now. We'll see if your captain can keep it from me."_

Bill wanted to pull back from the filthy Cerinian, but he dared not. He stared angrily at his enemy's closed eyes, worried thoughts might slip out about their secret mission. He hadn't learned how to thwart mind readers, so he had to improvise on the spot. His countermeasures amounted to shouting mental obscenities at the crazed fox and trying to burn a hole through his skull with his eyes.

Eyelids still closed, Ariki began to hum. "Hmmm, _I'm getting a lot of, 'fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, suck my dick'…a picture of a Cerinian carried over a steaming ocean…'fuck you, you dirty post-apocalyptic bum'…a general in a red uniform giving you this vessel…an image of me roasting alive in your ship engine…and…that same Cerinian girl, projected over the wasteland."_ Ariki removed his hand from Bill's forehead and opened his eyes, grinning. _"So she escaped with someone back to our planet? You are eager to find her, yet at the same time I sense trepidation. You need her for something. While she is powerful, she is…different. Easy to control – as opposed to someone like me, I suppose."_

"Your power can't compare to hers," Bill answered. "Which is why I fear you less."

" _Ooh, ouch! You're lucky I don't kill someone for minor insults – I like verbal sparring, and that just wouldn't be fair of me."_ Ariki turned to address the rest of the bridge crew. _"Forget your little mission to find the girl. If she's the most powerful Cerinian (which obviously she is not for he stands before you now), you should be glad that she is here. Rejoice! She is out of your hair! You don't have to deal with an all-powerful_ _psychotic bitch trying to murder you every minute of every-"_

A clatter sounded behind Ariki, and he whirled to see Fay had grabbed a rifle from the pile and was aiming it at him. With clenched teeth she pulled the trigger, but in the same instant Ariki bent the gun barrel down, and the shot fired harmlessly into the floor. While he was busy snapping it the rest of the way off, Bill tackled him from behind. With Ariki on the ground he began punching him in the face, but he only managed to land a few satisfying blows before his fists started stopping a few inches from the Cerinian's smug face. Bill pulled back in a fright.

As he heard the footsteps of his men rushing to help, Ariki chuckled, _"Oh-ho, you'll pay for that…"_

By the time the rest of the soldiers reached him, Ariki flung them all in different directions. Being directly on top of the Cerinian, Bill launched straight up into the air, slammed his back against the ceiling, and fell back down, arms and legs flailing. He hit the ground painfully and struggled to rise to his knees – but Ariki pressed him and everyone else flat against the bridge floor.

" _Augh!"_ Ariki spat. _"I swear you're no better than the other Cerinians! I thought we'd reached a bit of an understanding, but clearly I was mistaken! So I'll spell it out for you half-witted aliens. This ship – your precious_ Justice _– is mine. You will obey my every whim and order, or I will decapitate, disembowel, immolate, rend-in-two, etc., anyone who defies me. Or I may think up an entirely new and needlessly violent way of killing you! I've gotten quite creative over the years. Outside of operating this ship, which I imagine you'd say I'm too 'primitive' to understand, I have no use for you. You live and die as I so choose, for I am your god now. Do I make myself clear?"_ He knelt over Bill and lifted his head up by his short crop of hair. _"Your men are your responsibility, Captain. If you wish to keep them alive you will do as I say, and we can all go back to being one big happy crew. Agreed?"_

Bill raised his aching head to look around at the soldiers in his charge, all of whom were sprawled across the floor like him. Upon their faces he read frustration, fear, and confusion. They all awaited his answer, anxiously.

The canid stewed. He hated being brought to his knees by an unhinged, psychotic tramp. First it was Pepper, then Makepeace, and now a Cerinian maniac giving him orders. And all he could do was serve.

Grunting, Bill pushed himself to his feet, and Ariki let go. He stood back and crossed his arms, awaiting an answer.

"If you promise not to harm my crew…I will do as you wish. But only if we can be rid of you fast."

" _And I can't wait to be rid of you either, flap-jowls. Once you have served my needs we'll never have to see each other again."_

Bill brushed his uniform off and straightened it. "Now, what is it you want? Why did you commandeer my ship?"

Ariki placed his hands on his hips. _"Simple. I want off this god-forsaken planet. It's a shithole! There's almost nothing left! Absolutely nowhere to go – the entire globe is an inhospitable wasteland. Oh, and you think_ I'm _bad enough. Imagine a million other super-powered douchebags like me running around all at once, and you can see how the planet ended up like…well, like_ that." He pointed outside the viewscreen at the black desert and hazy, lifeless skyline. _"It's impossible living with each other. There are no more laws. There is no government. No right and wrong. Nothing can be enforced! No one gets along anymore – it's too easy to snap your friend's neck for chewing their food too loudly. Everyone can stab each other in the back at any moment. In fact, it's a miracle I'm even alive today! I had to lie, cheat, murder, and fuck my way to where I am now. It's not_ my _fault I'm like this!"_ he emphasized, placing his hands on his chest. _"I became what I had to in order to survive! I became the most powerful, the most cunning, the most creative Cerinian to get where I am now. I'm that .001% of germs that survive hand sanitizer…you guys have hand sanitizer in the future, right? Ever solve superbugs? Well, I guess you're not really 'from the future…'"_

Bill merely returned his ramblings with a confused, slack-jawed stare.

" _Sorry, I'm off-topic again. But you get my point, right? Cerinia is a living hell. I can't even sleep at night for fear that someone might kill me –_ especially _if it was with my Hime. In fact, all the tears I shed aside, perhaps you did me a favor by putting her in the ground. She could have easily betrayed me at any moment, so maybe you pulled that splinter out sooner rather than later…Splinters are universal, right?"_

Bill blinked. "Ariki, I can't fix Cerinia. This is a military vessel with two squadrons of fighters. We're only here on a rescue mission. I can't work miracles for you."

" _Pff, fuck this planet! All I want is safe passage to a new one,"_ Ariki shouted a little too loudly.

"You…want us to take you to another planet?" the captain repeated.

" _Oh, I'd find one myself, but Cerinians never perfected spaceflight. Farthest we got was in orbit. And even with our newfound powers, we haven't figured it out either. I've yet to meet a Cerinian who can, say; survive interstellar radiation, hold in enough oxygen for the flight, wrestle against the vacuum of space, or who even knows where the closest habitable planet_ is. _Then again, I suppose anyone who'd figured it out would already be gone…"_

"As far as I know," Bill answered, "Cerinia is the only extrasolar planet we've discovered that's habitable."

Ariki laughed. _"So, what? You expect me to believe your race evolved on asteroids? You have planets, right?"_

Bill stumbled. "Well, yes-"

The Cerinian grabbed his shoulders with shaky hands, looking left and right at his crew suspiciously. He lowered his voice to a whisper so that only Bill could hear. _"Hey, hey tell me. There aren't any other crazy psychics where you come from, right?"_

"No," he stated dryly, "and there's not going to be."

" _Perfect!"_ Ariki explained, jumping back up. _"Oh, you have no idea how relieving it will be to live among normal people! I'll finally be safe for once. And, of course, I'll get to explore a new world."_ He began pacing about the bridge, admiring their technology and studying his soldier's faces curiously. _"The prospect is truly exciting! I bet you have hover vehicles, holograms, neural interfaces, jet packs…oh wait, I guess jet packs are a bit redundant now. But I'll get to meet a variety of alien species if I'm feeling sociable."_ He stopped in front of Fay again, encroaching on her space. _"Of course, now that my Hime was ruthlessly slaughtered, I have a particular…_ vacancy _I'll need to fill in my life. Propagating the Cerinian race sounded enticing at first, until you consider the number of kids you'd have to take care of, and anyone here can see I am the least qualified role-model. I wonder…are Cerinians even compatible with…whatever you are, my dear?"_

Fay took a step back, face contorting at what Ariki suggested, but he held her in place. The Cerinian stepped closer and stroked her cheek fur with his paw, studying her.

" _My, what brilliant white fur. Soft to the touch and curly, unlike any vixen I've met before. How strange and alien you are, but…_ exotic. _A pretty thing like you doesn't belong in the military. Why not come with me? I've signed my name on a mountainside. I've swum to the deepest depths of the ocean. I've slayed more gods than I can count. I've seen others level cities, sculpt towering pieces of art with their minds, and give birth to mechanical creatures that still walk the wastelands. But I bet no other Cerinian can say they've fucked an alien."_

Fay sneered and recoiled, but she couldn't shake free from his grasp. Bill felt his blood start to boil, and he began shifting closer to the two.

" _And I bet no one of your species has fucked an alien, either. You'd be just as famous as I! And sorry about the whole threatening to tear out your spine thing, dear. Let's just forget about that. I could buy you the richest mansions, take you to see the most exhilarating locales, dine you on the rarest delicacies; there'd never be a dull moment with me. All I ask for in return is that…you don't slit my throat when we share a bed. You're not like Hime, are you?"_

The spaniel growled at him. "The first chance I get I'll run you through, you psycho."

Ariki shrugged and released her, turning his back. _"Eh, was worth a shot. But, if you ever get lonely…"_

He came face-to-face with Bill, unsurprised he had tried to sneak up on him again.

"What did we ever do to deserve you?" the canine mumbled.

The Cerinian's eyebrows lifted. _"Ah! That's a fine way of looking at it. You know, your home really does deserve me. In fact, your precious Corneria deserves to look like my planet when I'm through with it. I hope that one day all your species evolve psychic powers and tear each other's guts out, just like mine did. But only after Fay has stabbed me in bed, of course. After all, you did this to us."_

The canid balked at his revelation, Hime's last and only words beginning to click in his mind. "What? What did we have to do with it?"

" _Really? I thought you of all people would know. I heard rumors that an alien race made contact with our own, then released chemicals into our water to evolve us into psychic soldiers or something wild like that. None of that rings a bell?"_

"N-no, that's not what happened at all!"

Ariki cocked his head. _"Oh? Then how did it go down?"_

Bill's brow furrowed, and he looked down at the deck. "I…I don't know."

" _Oh. Well, in that case, you can ask your superiors about it and report back to me when we reach Corneria."_ Ariki released an enormous sigh and waved Bill away. _"Okay, I may have been starved of company for years, but that's enough social interaction for one day. Now, I'd love to tap that Cerinian girl and make ultra-powerful psychic kits together, but let's just forget all about her."_

"There's…another matter." Bill scowled at the Cerinian. "You downed five of my pilots. We need to recover their bodies and check for survivors."

Ariki waved his hand dismissively. _"You saw what we did to them! No one's surviving_ that."

The canid tried to retain his composure, clenching his fists and screwing his eyes shut. "Regardless, if there's a chance, we need to verify. And we need to return the bodies to their families for funeral rites." Bill had to hold back tears at the thought of returning Miyu to her family.

But the Cerinian rolled his eyes. _"If they're dead, they're dead. A body is nothing without life in it. And…if I seem a little heartless, it's because the cost of life is cheap out here. I've seen people die by the thousands; it means nothing to me anymore. I don't like it, but the only way I can deal with it is to stop giving a shit, you know? You're a captain; you'll understand soon enough."_

Bill glared at him. "I've fought in a war. We all have here. I've seen many soldiers die, and this isn't the first time I've lost men I called friends. I still care about their lives all the same."

He huffed in response. _"Alright then. If you want to see them before they decay you better turn this ship around and take me to Corneria._ Now."

"We…can't do that just yet. We came here by a remote gate."

Ariki shrugged. _"So…open it?"_

"We can't just open it at anyone's whim. It has to be operated from a space station which is ten light years away. We can't send messages that far; it would take ten years to reach the station-"

The Cerinian's eyes widened. _"You mean we're stuck_ _here for another 10 years?!"_

Bill huffed, annoyed at Ariki's impatience. "No, it routinely opens every day. But that won't be for another 17 hours."

He released a breath, placing a hand on his chest. _"Whew, don't scare me like that. Well, park our ass outside…wherever it opens, Captain. We're going to be spending a lot of time together, so let's all just get along. Any attempt to kill me will result in excruciating but creative death. And you won't get the chance to smother me in my sleep; I'll be awake all 17 hours. It will be nothing compared to how long I've gone without sleep in the past."_

Fuming, Bill turned to give the order to his crew to take their places and set course for the gate, but Ariki grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

" _Another word of advice, Captain. If you want to survive around Cerinians, try and do as they say. And of course, always sleep with one eye open, if you dare sleep at all."_

* * *

 _Author's Note: Huh, well I didn't anticipate the chapter taking over a month to complete, nor that it would get this long. Had to bump a scene over to the next chapter, so I guess the good news is number 30 will come along faster. Hopefully before the year ends_ …


	30. The Anomie

X

Mission No. 30

Zoness  
District 13

The Anomie

X

A series of persistent thumps roused Pukes from her slumber. Stretching out her arm, her paw slapped the desk by her bed a few times before landing on her glasses, which she reeled in like a fishing line. She sat up and placed them over her eyes, the blurry room coming into focus. Hazy light leaked in through the cracks between her shade and window frame. A glance at her clock told her it was a little past 12 in the afternoon, and someone was at the door.

 _Why did Falco have to come so early?_ she complained to herself. He should've at least given her fair warning instead of turning up out of the blue to disturb her rest.

Grumbling to herself she got up and threw on a lab coat over her pajamas, then stepped into her slippers and stumbled downstairs. The knocks were louder now, and she realized they came from the backdoor.

"Alright Falco, I'm coming," she yawned. "You don't have to bust the door in."

Reaching the backdoor, she stooped over and pressed her eye to the peephole, just to make sure it was him.

A pair of fiery reptilian eyes peered back.

Before she could react the door burst inwards, knocking her to the floor and tearing the latches straight from the wall. She didn't even have time to recover before strong, scaled hands gripped her arms and lifted her up, dragging her back into the townhouse. She screamed and struggled in protest, adrenaline kicking in to banish the last chains of sleep, but it was no use. They slung her into a chair and bound her arms and legs to it, but for whatever reason they didn't gag her just yet. She looked up at the assailants, but her glasses had fallen off during the struggle. All she could see of them were brutish, shadowy outlines against the white apartment walls and the light from outside. At least she could still count them; there were at least a dozen of the intruders.

Making the most of the fact that they hadn't gagged her yet, she screamed for help. But a red-scaled fist struck her across the face, cutting her plea short.

" _Quiet,"_ hissed the voice of the owner.

Pukes hunkered into the chair, cowering away from them and trembling. She knew this was the end – or perhaps just the beginning of one protracted, terrible end. She prayed for Falco and the rest of her friends to show up and save her, but odds were they had no idea of her fate and wouldn't until it was too late. _Please just make it fast…_

A large, hulking figure stepped in through the door, and everyone else in the room seemed to straighten up and go silent. He gently closed the door behind him, sealing off her only exit. He started towards her with heavy footfalls, but paused and stooped over to pick something off the floor. He resumed walking till his shadow fell over her, and Pukes flinched, drawing even further into the chair for protection.

The man set her lost pair of glasses onto her nose, adjusting them with monstrous yet careful hands till they fit just right.

"There, is that better?"

At once the room cleared, finally giving definition to the shapeless forms. Pukes glanced fearfully around, heart sinking now that she recognized the intruders. They were Grimmer's Gang, finally come to pay her a visit; the most vile of street ruffians, little more than beasts clad in a mix of denim, leather, and caked grime. Each one leered down at her, grinning to themselves. She recognized Dimmer, Grimmer's youngest brother, rubbing his fist eagerly beside her – he had been the one who struck her. But the one who stood directly in front of her was the leader himself; the tall, green-scaled iguana with a subdued ferocity about him.

"Pukes, isn't it?" Grimmer rumbled in a deep voice like a dragon's purr. "I don't believe we've met before, but you know who I am. And now, I know who _you_ are. I've got a problem, you see; perhaps you could help me with it. A couple of my precious boys got hooked on a new drug worming its way through the north end. 'Corruption', I think the kids call it. Must be a new recipe. Whatever it is, it's certainly… _unique._ Unique enough to create a buzz, turn a profit, and gather a loyal fanbase that's big enough to disturb the proper order of things on the north end."

He paused to release a sort of half-hum, half-growl before continuing. "I'll cut to the chase. I know Falco's behind Corruption. I know he's reformed the Free Birds and made a new play for power. And I know that _you_ are the master chef in his operation – the artist behind the graffiti. To tell the truth, I was hoping Lombardi would try to get all of you back together; things have been a bit boring here on the north end as of late. Good-ole turf war would make things exciting again. But this Corruption stuff…that's playing dirty. That's where I draw the line."

Pukes licked her lips. "Ex-excuse me, but it doesn't have to be this way. No one's gotten hurt or killed yet. You don't have to change that-"

Grimmer raised his eye ridges in mock indignation. "What, you think I'd just _kill_ a defenseless woman in cold blood? You insult me. I'm not here to kill you, or even hurt you too much. I'm just here to send Lombardi a little message – a warning, if you will."

Pukes sighed inwardly, realizing she might have a chance of making it out of this altercation alive. "O-okay! Thank you, thank you! I'll tell him anything! What's the message?"

Grimmer grinned crookedly , exposing a few of his sharp teeth. "Oh there's no words. As they say, the medium _is_ the message."

"Wh-what?"

The iguana snapped his fingers, and a rat skittered forth holding a pill bottle and a rusted metal dental tool. Dimmer forced her mouth open and the rat jammed the instrument in, which prevented her from closing it again. She clamped down on the metal with her teeth and tried to pull away, but there was no avoiding it. Dimmer forced her head back and the rat upended the bottle into her mouth, filling it with pills. She immediately recognized the briny taste of Corruption – ironically she had filled these pills herself. But the shear amount of them was dangerous. While not deadly, an overdose would cause a variety of nasty side effects, including one hell of a living nightmare for the rest of the day.

She gagged on the mouthful of pills, but the rat helped wash them down with a bottle of water. She wanted to spit the pills from her mouth and throat, but couldn't. Instead she swallowed until she'd downed them all.

Satisfied, the rat removed the instrument and Dimmer let go of her head. Pukes keeled forward, retching and gasping for air. She could almost feel the pills rattling in her stomach now; they'd certainly torn their way down her throat.

In truth she was proud of her work as a chemist, viewing her profession and creations as art. It was fate that brought Falco and the formula to her lab, and fate that brought the mycoremediating ingredient to Zoness, but it was her knowledge and artistry that pulled it all together. Corruption was her crowning achievement – it even helped her sleep easier, though she wondered how much of that was a placebo effect of feeling satisfied in something she'd finally created herself. Yet all of this made it worse now that Grimmer used it to send her on a bad trip.

The wait felt agonizing. Grimmer's men looked impatient and ready for action, yet all they did was stare at her eagerly. Soon however, the familiar sensation of her stomach dropping out from under her hit, and the reach of her mind expanded. She felt her consciousness leaking out of the confines of her body, until she could view the world from the eyes of her captors. Essentially she had become receptive to everything they sensed, only unlike the effects of the recommended dosage, the overdose made the experience ten times as potent. It was frightening, being in someone else's shoes – especially those of an enemy. She tried to hold onto herself, but it was no use. There was no escaping Corruption's psychic voyeurism.

The green-scaled iguana noticed her horrified expression – or rather, she _felt_ him noticing. "I'd say your candy has set in. Well Ms. Pukes, enjoy our show."

His men shared foreboding laughs before revealing various weapons; broken steal pipes, baseball bats, hammers, crowbars – even torn up sign posts. Pukes flinched and tried to close her eyes, anticipating the inevitable blows she was about to receive…but when they landed the tools struck plywood, drywall, glassware, and steel fixtures. The brutes scattered about her house, smashing her furniture, walls, and windows. But worst of all they discovered the laboratory in her basement, which was apparently what they had come for. Hefting their weapons over their shoulders, they brought them crashing down on the fragile glass tubes. The sharp tinkling reached her ears even on the ground floor. She started from each blow, even if they weren't aimed at her. Those were _her_ instruments being destroyed. More than that, it felt like they were shattering her very bones. And to her horror, she had to watch every minute of it from their eyes. _She_ hated Corruption. _She_ wielded the hammers. _She_ brought them crashing down on her delicate tools. She destroyed the laboratory with her own hands – the craft that meant more to her than anything else in the world. And they forced her to watch.

Pukes began crying then, a constant, quiet whimpering that never even amounted to a sob or wail. She felt so powerless to fight them off. It was merely the conclusion of fate. It nearly didn't register when two of the men carried out a case of the remaining Corruption for Grimmer's own use.

Once there wasn't a single item in her apartment left in one piece, Grimmer returned to her side as if to gloat. Stooping down he said, "As much as I enjoy subtlety, we both know Lombardi has nuts and bolts for brains, so maybe he won't get the message. In that case, be sure to tell him this…"

X

In a supply closet aboard the _Justice,_ Bill and Fay perched upon stacks of crates across from each other, lost in thought. Dr Makepeace leaned against the back wall, while #19 sat on the floor, legs crossed and hands folded in her lap. Her tail swished back and forth while she glanced between Bill and Fay, waiting expectantly. Elsewhere in the room sat the disassembled ROB units they'd confiscated from the _Great Fox,_ now decommissioned and safe. The four of them had sought out the supply closet to be as far away from the bridge and Ariki as possible, using the solitude to clear their heads and come up with a plan without being eavesdropped on.

"Taking Ariki back to Lylat is out of the question," Bill mumbled darkly. He sat with his elbows on his knees, hands steepled in front of his muzzle. "Best case scenario he'd find some remote place to live as a hermit. He seems to hate people enough, and he's socially inept. Worst case…he tries to take over Corneria, resulting in thousands of deaths before the military decides to glass wherever he is and be done with it. Either way, I'd never be able to face Pepper again after I let a spoiled brat get the best of me. God, Fox never had to deal with anything like this during the Lylat Wars…"

Fay held her face in her hands for a moment, holding back tears. Swiftly however, the emotion turned to rage. She punched her fist into an open palm, staring through the floor panels as she undoubtedly imagined the horrible things she'd do to Ariki. "We can't let him live – not after what he did to Miyu and the others. I'd love to make his death as slow and as painful as possible…"

"That is out of the question," Makepeace spoke up. "While we are all in agreement Ariki must be killed, he must die as swiftly as possible; we can't give him time to react."

Fay released a broken sigh. "Yeah…" She looked across at Bill, eyes glassy and trembling. "Hey…do you think there's any chance Miyu might have…survived?"

Bill looked up as well. "I'm sure she's okay. The missile didn't kill her, so it's possible she ejected before…before the crash. But the sooner we get rid of our hijacker, the sooner we can return to find out. And Cerinian 28 was close by, too. We just need a surefire way of killing Ariki, and we only have a few hours before the gate opens."

At that moment 19 yawned, covering her stretching mouth with a paw. Her eyelids seemed to droop, and the dim light in the closet didn't help her staying awake.

"Guess none of us are getting any shut-eye tonight, huh?" Fay commented, smiling at 19.

"The devil doesn't sleep," Bill dryly responded. "We can't afford to either."

After a few minutes of wracking their brains in silence, Fay ventured, "What about poison?"

Bill cracked his knuckles absently, staring at the bulkhead. "I considered that, but Ariki might be suspicious of anything we give him. You saw the way he looked over the clothes we gave him. He's paranoid beyond belief. He'd just read the mind of whoever offered him the food and find out they'd poisoned it."

"Well, what if we didn't tell the server we poisoned it?"

"Hmm…Ariki would still force someone to taste-test it first."

"We could give the server the antidote to the poison beforehand so they'd survive, but Ariki wouldn't."

Bill nodded. "But of course we'd have to slip the antidote into the server's food _without_ him knowing as well, _then_ poison the rest of the food after he's eaten his meal."

Fay looked like she wanted to pull her hair out. "Oh this is getting so convoluted! But it still might work if we do everything _exactly_ right."

"There's just one problem."

Bill and Fay grimaced, preparing for Makepeace to douse water over their plan yet again. She continued, "The stores aboard the _Justice_ weren't stocked with poisoning individuals in mind. While my scientists could concoct something, it wouldn't have a ready antidote. The poison would need awhile to take effect so that the server doesn't die right away; only after Ariki ate the food. But whoever serves it would by necessity also have to die. Nor would they know ahead of time or be able to consent to their sacrifice, because we can't tell them."

Makepeace looked at Bill with piercing teal eyes. "Could you do that, Captain? Could you pick out one of your unwitting men for the slaughter?"

Bill sighed and looked down, debating with himself. In war, sacrifices always had to be made, but was he really that cold?

In the end he chose not to answer, instead fielding a different idea. "Who says it needs to be poison? What if we just hid a sedative in his food and killed him while he's asleep?"

The vixen weighed the idea. "You could. But there will always be a window where he realizes he's falling asleep and subsequently lashes out. He could kill anyone during his final moments of clarity – perhaps even take the whole ship with him before his eyelids close."

Bill clenched his teeth. "It's certainly a risk…"

Makepeace folded her arms. "Besides, Ariki has no plans to sleep; I doubt he'd be willing to eat food until he's safely by himself either."

"You have a point."

Fay wrung her paws together. "What did he even eat all these years?" After thinking for a moment, her eyebrows raised, and her voice climbed in pitch. "You don't think he resorted to-?!"

"You know, I wouldn't put it past him," Bill smirked at Fay's gruesome implication. There certainly wasn't much a normal person could do to gather their own food after society broke down and the surface of the planet transformed to a barren wasteland. But the train of thought brought back some of Hime and Ariki's words from earlier that day. He looked over at Makepeace.

"Doctor, there's something that's been eating at me today. Ariki and the other Cerinian mentioned something about our having caused the apocalypse. Is what they said true?"

Makepeace frowned. "I fail to see how that is of any relevance at the moment."

Bill quickly dug for an excuse. "It might help us understand why he hates us so much."

The doctor pursed her lips, taking a moment to answer. "Corneria did not _…directly_ cause what happened to this planet. While Dr. Andross was allowed on the project, he showed no signs of psychosis until it was too late. He acted without the proper authority, and without alerting any of our superiors. What happened on Cerinia was his responsibility alone." Unconsciously as she spoke, the vixen wrung her hands and seemed to be staring somewhere far away.

"Then why do the Cerinians think _we_ caused it?"

Makepeace shook her head dismissively. "Ariki and his partner probably heard rumors. Sensational news travels fast, but it is also easily distorted. I'm sure the complete truth was buried under the rest of the ash and rubble. Without knowing the full story, survivors are bound to jump to hasty conclusions in place of facts."

Her answer did little to satisfy the captain. Bill had hoped she would completely exonerate Corneria of any wrongdoing, but it wasn't the straightforward acquittal he was looking for. He did his best to push the thought aside, but it kept nagging at him in a quiet voice from the corner of his mind.

For the moment they returned to brainstorming in silence. Bill continued playing out different scenarios in his head, each one wilder, more complicated, and more desperate than the last to the point of being fantasies. But no matter what he came up with, there was no easy way out. Some way or another, he was bound to lose more men in the process, and the clock was ticking fast. If he didn't come up with something, time would make the decision for him.

Growing agitated, he glanced at 19. During his time cooped up aboard the _Justice,_ the sight of her always managed to calm him down. There was something reassuring about seeing her so contented and confident in him, trusting that he would take care of her no matter what happened. At the moment she was scratching her claw in the steel floor, making increasingly-complex circle patterns.

Bill looked over at Makepeace, an idea beginning to take hold. "Are 19's powers truly gone? Or are they just dormant?"

The vixen straightened her glasses, catching onto Bill's intention. "After her encounter with 28 we worked tirelessly to reawaken them, but with no luck. Whatever happened between the two of them caused 19 to lock her abilities away deep within herself, reversing years of progress. Are you suggesting we could reawaken her powers and have her face Ariki?"

19 raised her head at the sound of her name, looking back and forth between them curiously.

"It may be our only chance. I don't think he knows about 19 yet, and if he does he wouldn't know about her powers; after all, everyone else on the ship knows she's harmless. Or at least _thinks_ she's harmless. If someone could distract Ariki, and 19 sneaked up on him, she could remotely kill him in the same way he killed our men – it could be as easy as crushing his skull."

Makepeace bit her lip. "You could certainly try, but we'd have to be sure. We can't risk 19 unless the odds of failure are negligible."

Bill slid off the crate and knelt on the floor beside the Cerinian. "I agree. Let's try to test her powers; maybe we can bring them back together. She's…I think she's rather fond of me, so maybe if I'm here to encourage her the result might be different. Can you explain to her what we're doing?"

Makepeace pushed off the wall and crouched by 19, taking her hand. She spoke at length in Venomian, and 19 answered shortly.

"She says she doesn't think she can, but she'll try if it's to help us. We'll start by giving her a large dose of crystal lysergic acid." She pulled her medical bag over from its resting place by the wall and removed a brownish-orange bottle of pills. She tapped four onto her palm before tipping them into 19's paw.

Fay slid off her stack of boxes. "I'll get her a cup of water…"

She hurried off into the outside corridor, but by the time she returned 19 had already swallowed the pills. From how fast she upended them into her mouth, Bill judged she was well accustomed to the act. Yet the grimace on her face said repetition didn't make it any more pleasant.

Along with Makepeace and Fay they gathered around 19 in a huddle, eager to watch the experiment. Bill drew his tactical knife and set it on the floor in front of her; perhaps they wouldn't have her use something as obvious as a knife to kill Ariki, but it was a good starting point.

"Here. Just see if you can lift this," Bill instructed.

After Makepeace translated, 19 set her gaze intently on the knife. She frowned and furrowed her brow, as if in intense concentration. The three spectators glanced back and forth between the purple vixen and the knife; Makepeace with doubt, Fay with wonder, and Bill with tentative hope. Knowing she had an audience, and that this was crucial to the survival of her friends, 19 threw herself at the task.

From Bill's end it looked like she was simply staring at an object on the floor, but he knew inside her mind she must be struggling against such a herculean trial. Soon he noticed outward signs of her mental battle; her breathing ran shallow, her forehead muscles trembled, and sweat glistened down the tips of her fur. It felt like agonizing torture just watching her.

A distant look came over the girl's face, as if she were transported far away. Shadows of haunting memories played across her widening eyes. She no longer trembled from mental effort, but from fear. And in that moment, Bill understood. 28 hadn't taken her powers. 19 had suppressed them herself. She realized the horror she had inflicted on Bill's men and was scared of ever repeating it. She was scared of what she really was:

A monster.

19 buried her face in her hands, sniffing back tears. She apologized in Venomian, her voice fragile and close to breaking.

Then, the weapon shook. Bill, Fay, and Makepeace shared a gasp, sucking in their breaths as they stared at the knife in wonder. Slowly it lifted off the floor to hover between them. Then it rotated around till the dagger end pointed in the opposite direction. Finally it floated through the air only for the point to stop against 19's throat.

The vixen looked down at the knife, swallowing. She placed her arms on the ground behind her and backed away until she came up against the wall, but the knife pressed against her neck the entire time.

"Kei-kei-kei, _what do we have here?"_

Bill and Fay spun to see Ariki standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. He was dressed in a comfortable civilian set of clothes Bill had given him, only he insisted on wearing that ridiculous, weather-beaten cape of his.

 _"I'm surprised to see you have another Cerinian prisoner! Forgive the knife, my dear, but it's merely a precaution. Nothing personal, I assure you. But one wrong move…"_

"Ariki, don't!" Bill pleaded. "She's not like you: she has no powers! She couldn't hurt a fly!"

The Cerinian raised a brow. "Oh?" He searched Bill's thoughts and the canine grimaced, but ultimately Ariki discerned he was telling the truth. He burst out laughing. _"So she doesn't have telekinesis anymore, but you three were still trying to convince her to kill me, is that it? You naughty Cornerians! I can't leave you unsupervised for less than five minutes or you'll begin plotting behind my back. I'll have to babysit you like younglings from now on."_ He turned his attention back to 19, letting the knife clatter to the floor beside her. _"Well then, what's a girl like you doing with these foreigners when you could be flying first class with me? Don't you know these people_ kidnapped _you? They're merely using you as a tool. You're nothing to them. Nothing. But to me, you could be very special. I know of the past that was robbed from you, but your future belongs with me. Why stay cowering with your enemies?"_

Makepeace stood up, the light from outside the closet finally falling on her. "We're not her enemies. We're the ones who saved her."

Ariki seemed to jump. _"Egad,_ _there's_ another _Cerinian! Where are you hiding all of these women?!"_ he demanded. Then he studied the doctor more closely. _"I must say though, your fur is…oddly-colored. Is it a dye job?"_

The doctor rolled her eyes. "I am a Lylatian vulpine. You would do well not to imply falsities of a woman's natural coat."

The Cerinian smirked. _"Interesting…"_ He paused for a few seconds, during which time Bill could only assume he was reading her mind, yet Makepeace didn't even flinch. _"No powers, either. Your species must have escaped the Curse. But your existence in…'Lylat' begs the question: did your race descend from ours, or did we Cerinians descend from yours?"_

Makepeace nodded. "A worthy question for a research project, but we aren't likely to find the answers now."

"Mmm, _yes. Not after the holocaust. Well, good luck with your research, Doctor. But I'll have to ask your…'test subject' to come with me. What is her name?"_

Bill and Makepeace exchanged glances. The doctor coughed. "Well, we call her 19, but-"

Ariki snorted. _"19? Really? You mean in the future you got so uncreative you began_ numbering _your children? What's next, naming them after your species? My gods though, 19 sibling kits…hasn't your population growth plateaued yet?"_

"We never knew her name. As I explained, we rescued her from someone else."

The male Cerinian held out his hand to the frightened vixen. _"Well, come on 19. Perhaps I'll call you my Hime from now on, for that is what you'll be. When we get to Lylat, you will be my bride; my queen. No more experiments, no more wild chases, no more post-apocalyptic wastelands. And best of all, no more pesky aliens!"_

He took her hand and pulled 19 to her feet, but Bill stepped between them. "Ariki, please, she doesn't deserve this. If it's a hostage you want I'll go back with you to the bridge-"

But the Cerinian laughed. _"You really think you want the best for her, don't you? That after all this is said and done, she might end up in your care so you can make things right for her? All in the better world you're imagining. Well I have news for you, Bill. You are part of the problem. You will always be her captor. You will always be different. But I…"_ He let go of 19's hand and grasped the collar around her neck. With minimal effort he snapped it open and worked it free, dropping the binder to the floor. _"I am her equal. I will raise her up from your ashes and crown her as my queen."_

19's eyes widened and she reached for the collar, only to discover it had vanished from around her neck. She began to gasp for breath, as if freedom was stifling.

" _I'm quite lucky to have found a girl like her. She'll be even better than Hime! Without any powers she can't hurt me; nor does she possess Hime's same fiery spirit which so often scorched me. I think we'll get along nicely. You'll never betray me, will you?"_

He tightened his grip firmly around 19's hand again, pulling her out of the closet. She looked back with pleading eyes at Bill, but couldn't do anything else to stop Ariki.

Bill ran to the doorframe to watch them go, but he was just as powerless. "Don't worry 19, you'll be okay," he assured her. "I won't let him take you away."

Ariki looked over his shoulder. _"Was that a threat?"_

Bill stopped in his tracks, closing his mouth.

" _I know all about your little plot to poison me. It will interest you to know I've taken up fasting; food doesn't agree with me when there's poison about, and besides I get airsick. But I'll be sure to wine and dine 19 on your ship's finest cuisine. Glad I sought you out! From now on I'll regularly be scanning your minds to make sure you don't plan any more mischief. Someone might get hurt!"_

He laughed at his own joke and guided 19 away, disappearing down the corridor in the direction of the bridge.

Clenching his teeth, Bill returned with Makepeace and Fay back to the storage closet. He beat his head several times against the wall, then remained there leaning.

"God I want to stuff that pretentious cape down his throat," Fay growled. "I would've taken 19's place if I could, just for her sake. The poor girl's been through so much…"

Bill remained standing with his forehead pressed against the bulkhead, wallowing in hopelessness. Any idea he came up with he immediately shot down, knowing Ariki would read his mind the next time they met and that would be the end of it. What was it Makepeace had advised about fighting Cerinians?

Fay sighed. "Well Doctor, got any more ideas?"

When Makepeace replied it was in a painfully-flat and drawn-out voice as if she were broadcasting over a microphone. "I must remind you, Lieutenant Spaniel, that anything we plot together will merely be revealed by our enemy. Taking that into account, me must not speak about such matters together."

Bill looked over at her, surprised to find Makepeace had been directly staring at him the entire time. Her blue-green eyes burned with a mischievous fire.

 _What sort of tricks must you have up your sleeve?_ Bill mused to himself.

X

Fox grit his teeth, jabbing left and right at his opponent. His cloth-wrapped fists struck home with hollow thuds against the training dummy. It was a creature of his own design, though he recruited Kaia and several other Cerinians to help him construct it. The dummy stood slightly taller than himself; a simple cross of thick bamboo shoots for the spine and shoulders, and bags of sand gathered from the river bank for the head and torso.

For the most part the storm had passed that morning, but the sky remained cloudy and the air cool, making the weather perfect for training. Kaia stood not too far away, observing his progress and occasionally shouting out when the dummy left an opening or tried an imaginary attack. Depending on the case Fox would parry, dodge, or seize the chance to strike a powerful blow in a way he couldn't while fighting his tutor.

For some reason he was angry; fury powered his fists, making his blows land harder and more erratically than usual. He tried imagining the dummy as different enemies: rogue Cerinians who threatened the village, always turning out to look more monstrous and hideous than he knew Cerinians to be; Cornerian soldiers hunting Krystal down, though never Bill specifically; even the ghostly shadows of Venomians who continued to torment Krystal in her memories. If only it were so simple…

"Good afternoon, Fox."

With one final blow, Fox struck the sandbag head clear off the rest of the body, flinging granules across the lawn. Face flushing with blood, he turned to see Mother Namah standing at the other end of the yard. Hurriedly he scooped the sandbag off the ground and tried to fix it back atop the dummy's shoulders, embarrassed that the Cerinian matron had witnessed his aggression boil over.

Namah walked purposefully along the rear of the blacksmith's shop, pausing to return Kaia's bow.

"Mother Namah, it is an honor," the wine-furred vixen stated.

"Kaia." When she rose she said, "I'd like to have a word alone with Fox, please."

"Yes ma'am." Kaia nodded, glancing at Fox curiously before disappearing around the side of the shop. Namah continued on until she stood before Fox.

"Is there…something you wanted to see me about?" he asked. It was only now that she stood closer that he could see lines of worry etched in her visage.

"Fox, were you in the village when the storm hit this morning?"

"No, I was just leaving Itoro's."

"Do you remember hearing thunder? Even just one peal."

Fox scratched his chin. "Er, yeah, I think I did, but only once. Now that you mention it, I didn't see any flash of lightning either, or I might have turned right back around and stayed home. Why?"

"It wasn't lightning," she said flatly. "It was Krystal. She's getting worse."

Fox raised his eyebrows worriedly before repeating, " _Worse_?"

Namah gestured to a pair of seats behind the blacksmith shop and they sat down across from each other. The matron leaned in closer to Fox, keeping her voice low as if Krystal might overhear.

"Please, it's imperative that you tell me all you have learned about her. While I have some familiarity with Corneria's project, I've had no news since they cut themselves off from us."

The todd shrugged. "Well, there's not much more I can tell than I've already told you before, but maybe something will stick out to you more than it would to me. Like I said I found Krystal in one of Andross's laboratories before I came here. She was with several other Cerinians, but most were killed before I arrived."

"Did she demonstrate any unusual skills? Anything you might call…magical?"

Fox smirked at her word choice, then frowned. "Besides being able to speak telepathically, there was a point where she saved my life by means I could only call supernatural – that is, until I got to know her better and now nothing surprises me anymore. While escaping we ran into some soldiers who mistook me for a monster. They…they shot me. At least, I think they did. When I came to I was covered in blood, but there weren't any wounds left. Krystal had dragged me to safety. Suffice it to say, I owe her my life."

"You said you found her in Andross's labs. Do you know of his ultimate purpose for her?"

"I think he wanted to use her and the others as power sources for a space station. My team and I destroyed the first one he managed to get working, but it was an ordeal I don't want to repeat."

Namah leaned forward and took Fox's hand, surprising him. "And did Krystal ever power one of these satellites?"

Fox stumbled. "I…I don't know."

The abbess withdrew and sighed, looking pensive. "Then perhaps you've confirmed my worst fears. Fox, that girl is one of the most powerful Cerinians I have ever come across – certainly of those that have survived to this day. She might not display it outwardly, but I sense within her the potential to move mountains. If Andross was priming her to power an entire satellite, her powers could be limitless – and definitely catastrophic."

"You mean…like my mother?"

The Cerinian nodded gravely. "One of the reasons she gained Cerinian powers so quickly was because Andross tried using her to power a satellite. When the space station collapsed and he ferried her here, Vixy struggled to contain herself. She managed to for awhile, but it couldn't last. You know of what happened to her…"

Fox felt the blood drain from his face, realizing what happened to his mother now had a strong chance of happening to Krystal as well.

"Namah, there's…there's got to be a way to stop that from happening. Aren't you helping her fight it?"

"I've tried my best for the past month, but…there's a good chance I won't be able to rein-in her powers. If that becomes the case, I will have no other choice but to exile her to save the rest of the village."

The young vulpine felt his temper rise. " _What?_ You can't be serious. So you'd just give up on her like that? You'd cast her back out into the wastelands, after she came so far looking for a home?"

Namah's face darkened. "Don't you dare imply that I don't care for that girl! I cherish Krystal as much as anyone else in the village. I see what you love in her. It shatters my heart just thinking about this possibility, but unfortunately as the matron of Altaira Valley I have to make difficult sacrifices. If it's between her or the entirety of the village, I'd have to choose the other hundreds of Cerinians living here."

"But-but Krystal can't possibly be that much of a threat! That's ridiculous! She'd never hurt anyone!"

"No, perhaps not by choice. She has the heart of an angel, but if she can't suppress her powers it will be of no consequence. At the outbreak of the Anomie, completely normal people – many of whom I knew and loved – endured mental breakdowns which resulted in the deaths of millions."

Fox still couldn't bring himself to believe it, but there was nothing he could say to refute her.

Namah sighed. "I see you remain skeptical. Allow me to show you what I myself have witnessed."

Before he could stop her, Namah closed her eyes and overlapped minds with him. The experience felt similar to the previous day when Krystal had shared memories with him, only this time it was nowhere near as pleasant.

 _The backyard disappeared as Namah numbed his external senses, tuning him into her own recollections. Fox found himself standing inside a bakery, not too unlike ones found on Corneria or Papetoon a century prior. The advertisements on the walls and colorfully-decorated confectioneries all blurred together, as if Namah could no longer remember what they looked like; but the smell remained clear and tantalizing._

 _Everything in the shop seemed normal at first, but by the time Namah took Fox out onto the street the atmosphere seemed…eerie. The bright sun poured over the buildings, washing away their color and leaving the city a pale white. For a metropolitan street, everything seemed too quiet._

 _Then the screams rose above the sound of horns blaring, and hell broke loose. What followed was a frenzy of violent images without any order that even Namah seemed eager to avoid. She jumped between them quickly, unwilling to relive the ordeal she already relived every night while trying to sleep._

 _Out on the sidewalk, multi-colored Cerinians dressed in modern clothes pointed towards the sky, and Namah had to shield her eyes as she looked up. The silhouetted buildings that stood black against the blinding sky loomed over them, but they were…moving. Tipping over. Namah turned to run as a momentous thunder shook the street. Brakes squealed and cars crashed, but the Cerinian was too busy stumbling away from the collapsing buildings to pay them any mind. A cloud of debris engulfed the street like a wave, blotting out the pale sun. Screams sounded from somewhere above her, growing louder and louder until they ended in wet smacks against the pavement. Fox felt sick to his stomach as Namah tripped over their crumpled remains, but they were obscured by the dual smog of the collapse and Namah's own forgetting._

 _Elsewhere across the city climbed pillars of fire, accompanied by tremendous explosions. As she made her way through the rubble, Namah was lucky to avoid cars, dumpsters, and chunks of buildings hurled across the thoroughfare. The confusion shared by the Cerinians on the street was as palpable as the fog. Was it an earthquake? An invasion? A terrorist attack? But even at that time Namah seemed to know the truth; she just wouldn't accept it._

 _She came across another woman in the smog, seated beside an alley and covered in blood. Namah stooped to offer the woman her hand, but she made no move to accept it. Trembling, and with eyes as wide as dinner plates, she scooted backwards into the side of a building._

" _Get…get away from me!" she screamed._

 _A shadow fell over the both of them, and Namah looked up to see a building pass above their heads. Something had torn it straight from the ground, with leaking pipes and wires showering sparks swinging precariously beneath it, as if they were veins from a severed limb. Both women ducked and covered their heads, but only handfuls of plaster and cement rained down on their backs. When they looked up the building continued to sail effortlessly down the street, its shadow disappearing into the smoke._

 _Namah offered her hand to the woman again, but she flinched and cowered more, placing her paws over her temples and screaming. Fox was surprised when the next instant he found Namah flung across the street, her body denting the roof of a small Cerinian vehicle._

 _Groaning she rolled off the tram, sprawling onto the road on her hands and knees. She threw up on the street, and Fox wanted nothing more than to do the same. Yet the nightmare only worsened._

 _Beneath her palms, the hardened mixture of stone began to glow white hot. It melted away in the shape of her paws, turning to molten liquid. Frightened, Namah shot to her feet and threw herself back against the tram, only to find her hands had melted straight through the window and side door. She examined her paws in disbelief, crying out when they burst into flames in front of her face, yet they didn't burn or feel unbearably hot. She set off down the street, hoping to escape the city, all the while holding her hands as far away from the rest of her body and anyone else that she passed as if they were diseased or radioactive._

 _Involuntarily, Fox was seized by a wave of his own memories. He found himself plunged back a year ago to the initial attack on Corneria City, and the chaos and destruction and death it brought. He felt his heart rate begin to pump dangerously fast as his insides begged to empty the contents of his stomach for better flight. Sharp daggers of ice pricked from the inside of his chest, stabbing him mercilessly whenever he dared breathe. While the attack on Corneria marked Starfox's triumphant entry into the war, the images of carnage he witnessed were no cause for celebration._

 _Only…here they weren't ships buzzing through the air. It wasn't spacecraft strafing the streets with hellfire; it wasn't bombers dropping explosive ordinance onto buildings; it wasn't hulking mechs toppling over towers. It was ordinary people just like him._

 _Just like Krystal._

And within an instant, Fox blinked his eyes back open to the lush Cerinian valley, the sounds of chaos and destruction replaced by the songs of innocent wildlife. The present silence was so serene it drowned out the last echos of screams.

Namah sat across from him with a grave face. "I think I've made my point."

She didn't have to draw the conclusion for him. Fox realized that what he saw could easily happen to the village if Namah wasn't careful, or to a Lylatian City if Fox managed to return there with Krystal.

Or, of course, to _him._

"How did all of that happen?" he asked in disbelief.

Namah looked down at the head of the training dummy, which had not stayed put on its shoulders for long. "While researching my people for Corneria's project, Andross discovered certain evolutionary traits that were not present in Lylat's species. The psychic organs in our brains were more developed, and this interested him greatly. He became obsessed with the telepathic potential of my race.

"While Cerinians initially volunteered to be examined, Andross took his experiments too far, apparently kidnapping orphaned children. He wanted to see if he could awaken the abilities of an entire race, and what society might look like if he did. Andross…put something into our water supply. It accelerated our psychic development by thousands, perhaps millions of years. He didn't care about the possible consequences. We developed telepathy and other abilities. Some awoke sooner than others, confounding leaders and news organizations. Then, like a chain reaction to the trauma, the majority awoke on a mass scale the same day. And…well, suffice it to say you have witnessed the rest."

Fox's tail drooped. "Then, there's no other way?"

Namah dipped her head. "If Krystal doesn't show signs of improvement, I'm afraid I'll have to ask her to leave the village. I'm sorry, Fox. Maybe she will learn how to control herself after all, and all of this worrying of mine will be for nothing. But, if I do have to send her away…what will _you_ do?"

The todd looked up at her, surprised the subject had changed to him. "Me? I'd go with her. What else would I do?"

Her face betrayed none of her intent. "You have a home here in the village, and new friends. I admit I was quite wrong about you, and the rest of my people are learning to accept you as well. You would always have a place to stay."

Fox shook his head vigorously. How ironic, he thought, that he would be allowed to stay while Krystal might be turned away. "I'm sorry, but that's out of the question. I've come this far with Krystal. I'm not about to abandon her now. I'm not even a part of your village anyway. I live outside of it, like Itoro."

"I'm only thinking of your safety, Fox. I owe you for the service your mother did for us in helping to build this village. If Krystal's condition worsens, and you continue to stay by her side, there's a very real chance she may unintentionally kill you. You're a Lylatian with no such powers. Your physical training with Kaia means nothing against a psychic."

Fox shrugged. "Then that's just a chance I'll have to take. I gave up everything to find my mother and return Krystal home. Now that I have closure, she's all I have left. If Altaira doesn't work out, we'll just move on and keep looking."

"Then for everyone's sake I pray this moment never comes." Her expression suddenly softened as she looked at him. "Sometimes, Fox, I find your blind stubbornness admirable, even if it may be your undoing."

Fox smirked. "Thanks, I guess. But it hasn't done me wrong yet." Then he narrowed his eyes at her. "Just one more thing. How do you know so much about Andross, my mother, and their Cerinia project?"

The Cerinian elder sighed. "I suppose an explanation is finally in order, isn't it?"

She took a moment to roll up her sleeve and expose the upper portion of her forearm to Fox. There, in the midst of her dark blue fur, he saw the faded strokes of a white tattoo written in Cornerian:

 _#03_


	31. Immortal Game

X

Mission No. 31

Cerinia  
CSS Justice

Immortal Game

X

Several hours later, a defeated Bill walked through the hydraulic doors and into the ship's bridge. He paused on the threshold, surprised to see 19 seated in the captain's chair – _his_ chair – and not Ariki. Instead, the male Cerinian sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair across from her, a mountainous pile of weapons scattered about their feet. Ariki currently seemed to be rambling on about things to 19 that she tried her best to understand and/or care about.

The sight of Ariki giving up his much more comfortable seat to 19 caused Bill to stand stock still for a moment. But then several glimmers of light caught his eye, and he noticed thin needle-like shards floating precariously around his crew. In fact, every officer in the bridge was accompanied by one of the needles, which threatened to stab into their necks if they made even the slightest aggressive move. Nervously the soldiers glanced behind themselves at the hovering weapons, fearing at any second Ariki might grow angry or bored and skewer one of them through the neck. So in the meantime they sat frozen at their stations, not daring to move except to fulfill their duties monitoring and controlling the ship.

The doors hissed open behind Bill again, followed by the sound of rattling plates and a delicious scent.

"Ex-excuse me, Captain."

Bill jumped to the side and turned, allowing one of the ship's cooks to enter carrying a foldout stand and a platter of food. The cook nodded in salute and trundled past, approaching the captain's chair. When Ariki saw him nearing he glanced up at the ceiling, and Bill followed his gaze. Seemingly at random the steel bulkhead grew white hot, till a thin sliver of metal pulled free and morphed into the shape of a needle. Ariki looked back down, and the spike descended to hover behind the chef's neck, following him wherever he meant. As soon as the tip pricked the man's nape he tensed up, visibly sucking in a breath.

Nervously the cook cleared a place in the pile of guns, then set the stand and food tray in front of 19's seat.

"For the lady," he said, removing the polished lid from the food. He revealed some of the officers' special stock which they usually reserved for victory celebrations and holidays, though the fact that Ariki had pilfered his pantry couldn't concern Bill less in comparison to his other worries.

Ariki inhaled deeply. _"Excellent meal, dear chef! It smells delicious."_ He dismissed the cook, following him all the way out of the bridge with the needle, at which point it clattered to the floor now that its target left. The doors closed, the sight of which gave Bill an odd feeling of déjà vu that he couldn't place.

When the chef was gone Ariki grabbed a fork and knife and began cutting pieces of steak free for 19. Bill cleared his throat impatiently and stepped closer. The Cerinian finally noticed and gestured him over.

" _Ah, good to see you, Captain. Care to join us?"_

The bulldog cleared his throat. "No thanks, I'm not hungry."

" _Suit yourself."_ And he plopped a bite of steak into his mouth and began chewing it.

Bill blinked. "You…you said you weren't going to eat aboard the ship…?"

Ariki shrugged. _"So I lied. I knew you wouldn't poison your 'precious asset' here if I requested food for her, and I figured she'd be generous enough to share it with me. And I must say…"_ He deposited another bite in his mouth and chewed, _"This is the best food I've tasted in years."_

The canid opened his mouth to retort but couldn't think of anything witty to say. He almost felt sorry for the ragged Cerinian, but then he remembered the violent ways in which he'd murdered his crew, as well as the threatening forest of needles he held against them now. 19 at least seemed happy. So instead he merely told him, "Enjoy it while you can. We'll reach the rendezvous point in about an hour."

Ariki swallowed and smacked his lips. _"Mmm. Good news indeed. Perhaps the first thing I'll do in your system is rob a convenience store and fill up on snacks and candy. Most of the junk food left in stores spoiled after a year, but a few months ago I found this little yellow confectionery filled with whipped cream, and I kid you not it was still good. Before the apocalypse we always joked a treat with that many preservatives would stay fresh till archeologists dug up our remains thousands of years later. I guess there was some truth to it…"_

Bill cleared his throat, watching the two Cerinians eat their meal together. 19 appeared to enjoy the steak, but was still wary of her dinner companion.

"Ariki…may I ask what you plan on doing when you reach Lylat?"

The blue-furred vulpine chewed thoughtfully. _"Good question; I didn't really plan on making it this far. Leaving Cerinia for another planet seemed like such a pipe dream, neither myself nor Hime plotted that far ahead. Maybe if I wanted to play by the rules I could do fun little magic tricks in exchange for food, trick people into losing deceptively easy-sounding bets…perhaps make a name for myself and become a celebrity. I'd go on talk shows, I'd do live performances – maybe even become famous!…But that's out of the question, isn't it? I've already killed several soldiers, and governments like yours have no concept of nuance. No, I'm already an enemy – why play nice when from the start I'm branded the villain? I may as well have fun."_

He set his knife and fork down, getting a far-away gleam in his eye.

" _If I'm going to the underworld for my sins, I may as well go all-out, you know? I'd show up to town one day, steal a bunch of shit, and fly off into the wilderness with 19 in tow. We'd settle down somewhere, I'd construct a crude dwelling place, and we'd live like a king and queen in our own little slice of paradise. Once in awhile I'd descend from our bower to terrorize a new town, steal more food and amenities, maybe kidnap a few of the local women for fun – or seduce them with my irresistible charm…"_

He winked at 19, who didn't notice; her eyes were on the silverware Ariki had set down. When she didn't acknowledge him he sighed and his tone turned somber again. _"Do you know, Bill, what hell is really like?"_

"Besides flying on a ship with you?"

" _Hell is being- Oh-ho-ho, nice one! But no. Hell is being able to have anything you want: food, sweets, land, tail – whatever you want, whenever you want it. Only you have to_ take _it. It's where everyone can take what they want, and they just so happen to want a piece of you. You realize you don't need anyone else; you can't_ stand _being around them. That one fucker rubs your pelt the wrong way? Snap your fingers and there's a thousand miles between you and him. We had everything we wanted in our grasp, except for each other. So we separated and went our different ways until we lost track of our friends. We took what we wanted, but we couldn't give up anything in return."_

He rubbed at his eyes tiredly; the sleepless night was weighing on him.

" _Sometimes I wonder where my old mate ended up-"_

His eyes suddenly widened and he slammed his hand down on the steak knife, causing all the silverware and plates on the table to rattle. 19 jumped; her gaze had been intently fixed on the knife all through his rambling monologue, yet Ariki hadn't noticed until now. Like Ariki, Bill realized she'd been trying to telekinetically lift it right from under the Cerinian's nose again. But after he caught her, 19 looked down at the floor in shame.

Scowling at 19 warily, Ariki lifted the knife and tried to cut more bites for himself, but his hands trembled too much. He laughed nervously, staring at his shaking palms; even the needles pressed against the necks of Bill's crew wavered dangerously.

" _Now what was I saying again?"_ he asked, looking around. " _I forget…probably nothing that would interest you. How about I let you watch us eat our_ _meal in peace?"_

X

The two Cerinians finished eating in silence, though Bill could feel the tension that remained between them. Nearly an hour passed, with the _Justice_ on course to reach the rendezvous point in time or the scheduled opening. Outside the wrap-around window the black sand desert and horizon sank beneath them; the blue sky steadily darkening until stars appeared.

Ariki paced the deck in the meantime, his ragged cape swishing across the floor whenever he turned. His anxiousness seeped out into the surrounding crew, who continued to monitor the _Justice's_ present course and systems while stealing glances at him. Their stares hadn't escaped the Cerinian, who suddenly came to a stop.

" _Don't you all have like…spaceship things to do? I can't stand everyone gawking at me…"_ And he chose one unfortunate crewmember to bug his eyes out at. The officer flinched and went back to his monitor, avoiding Ariki's gaze along with everyone else.

The Cerinian snickered, then marched over to Bill, who stood resolutely by 19's side. The canine tensed upon his approach.

Ariki wrung his hands nervously. _"Why are we flying so far out into space? Hasn't it been an hour yet? Where's the gate?"_

"We're close," Bill promised.

Right on cue, one of the crewmen looked up from his station. "Sir, we've reached the rendezvous point. The radio communication gate is scheduled to open within the next five minutes."

Rather than emitting a relieved sigh, Bill felt his blood run cold, dismayed at the thought of releasing Ariki into the Lylat. But he didn't betray his concern. "Good. Hold her steady."

After the anticipated five minutes passed, a second crewmember called out, "Fluctuations in space-time detected. Gate is opening directly ahead of us and should be visible momentarily."

Ariki practically skipped across the deck, eager to get a look out the window. The brilliant white sun was just peeking over the blue horizon, casting blinding rays over the haloed planet. He squinted his eyes and searched the empty space in front of the ship.

Bill watched for the portal as well, though ever since arriving on Cerinia he hadn't once looked back. Up to this point he hadn't planned on returning to the Lylat System until they found Fox and Cerinian 28, but with Ariki holding his entire crew hostage he didn't have any choice. And he couldn't fail Pepper a third time…

The Cerinian's eyes lit up. _"I see it!"_

A small ripple of green energy appeared on the horizon. The emerald ring expanded in size, revealing a circular slice of stars that stood out from the celestial sky around it. The distorted area grew larger and larger until it was about the size of a house, at which point it stopped.

Ariki frowned. _"…Is that it? It's much smaller than I anticipated. Your ship can't possibly fit through!"_

"The gate only opens wide enough to allow radio signals to travel between us and the station on the other side. It requires a tremendous amount of energy to keep open, so the smaller the better. We'll send you through in a shuttle."

The Cerinian angrily pointed at the gate and looked back at Bill. _"And give up my flying fortress? Nonsense! I_ demand _you have them accommodate the whole ship!"_

Bill tried to be patient. "Ariki, my superiors will be suspicious if we request passage for the entire _Justice_. They're less likely to be concerned about a single shuttle returning a few passengers. I have my mission to fulfill, remember? I'm not supposed to return until I find the kidnapped Cerinian."

Ariki gnashed his teeth, looking back and forth between Bill, the crew watching him, and out at the disappointingly-small gate. He stormed over to Bill and plunged into his mind, reading his thoughts like an open book. There wasn't much for the canid to hide; Ariki plainly knew his hatred for the Cerinian and his frustration at having to postpone the mission. He saw the fear Bill had of his superiors; he felt his concern about releasing a psychic into Lylat. And he knew of all the ways he'd plotted and failed to kill him. The shuttle didn't raise any warning signs.

When Ariki was satisfied Bill wasn't plotting anything, he released him. _"Very well,"_ he spat, _"But_ you, _Captain, are coming along with myself and 19 as a hostage. Understood?"_

Bill crossed his arms. "If it'll make you leave, then yes." He narrowed his eyes at Ariki. "But I want you to know, as soon as you leave us behind, the Cornerian military will ceaselessly hunt you down wherever you may hide. Eventually they'll find you, and regardless of your powers, one time they'll get in a lucky shot, and that'll be the end of you."

Ariki glowered in response at Bill, but after a time he grinned. _"Great. I could use a challenge for once. Now take us to the damn shuttle."_

Bill turned and spoke to Fay, whose fists were clenched as she watched the exchange. "Lieutenant Spaniel, you're acting commander of the _Justice_ while I'm gone. Understood?"

Fay stood up from her station and saluted. "Yes sir." But when her hand lowered and she fell silent, her burning stare spoke volumes more of her concern than words could.

" _Great. Now that the order of succession has been established, let's disembark."_ Ariki took 19's hand and raised her from the captain's seat, then waited for Bill to lead the way. The canid left the bridge with the two of them in tow, furious but far from resigned to his fate. This was his last chance. He would kill Ariki if he himself had to die with him.

X

The next fifteen minutes passed by agonizingly slow. Bill escorted the two Cerinians to the hangar bay, where the crew had prepped a shuttle for takeoff. Ariki had Bill and 19 board first, ever paranoid, but after scanning the minds of as many of the nearby crew as he could, he felt satisfied and followed suit. It was a standard Cornerian troop transport shuttle, made up of two main compartments with a dividing door in between; the forward section not much more than a cockpit with seats for the pilot, co-pilot, and two others, and the aft section a much larger troop and cargo bay.

Bill moved to take the controls in the cockpit, but was surprised to see a ROB unit already seated in the pilot's chair.

Without swiveling its head back the unit said, _"No need to pilot the ship, Captain; I will handle the controls."_

Ariki poked his head curiously into the cabin behind Bill. _"Saaaay, you even have robotic crew! Our robots never came close to this. But aren't you worried about an AI rebellion? You know, 'robots rise up!' and stuff?"_

"We had one report of an AI going rogue during the last war," Bill answered, "but it was an experimental weapon prototype created by the enemy. This is a ROB unit; an automated crew robot. His processors come nowhere close to the sophistication necessary for sentience."

The unit's head pivoted to look at Ariki curiously. _"Either I am unable to identify this passenger's dialect, or their accent is confusing my language processor. Could you please inform me of their specific language and regional accent?"_

19 entered the cockpit behind them, curious about ROB as well.

Ariki frowned and stared at the robot, brow furrowing in concentration. _"That's odd; I can't hear any thoughts coming from him…Oh wait, I'm so stupid! Of course I wouldn't, it's a robot. What did he say?"_

"He said he couldn't understand you either," Bill explained. Then he turned back to ROB. "Don't worry about this passenger; you'll receive your orders from me. Now, take us out of the hangar."

" _Roger, Captain,"_ the ROB unit whirred. He turned back to the controls and started up the shuttle. The ship lurched as it rose off the ground, with the canid bracing himself on the back of the co-pilot's chair and the two Cerinians teetering slightly. 19 grabbed onto a seat while Ariki stubbornly stood alone, regaining his balance. Then the ship nosed outside the _Justice's_ hangar bay and into Cerinia's geospace.

Bill addressed the robot again. "Fly us to the gate ahead. Be careful on your approach; any part of the ship that doesn't pass within the portal's circumference will be sheared off."

" _Aye sir."_ Their automated pilot maneuvered the shuttle smoothly around the _Justice's_ hull before pulling directly in front of the cruiser on an approach vector towards the gate. The portal between the stars shimmered almost imperceptibly, on occasion blurring the celestial sky beyond like ripples in a forest pool. And past the doorway…

Ariki rushed to the front of the cockpit, leaning out over the controls to get a closer look. His eyes seemed to sparkle in child-like wonder at the sight before him, reflecting the sapphire-blue crescent of Corneria visible below. His jaw even hung slightly agape, but he could speak unhindered with his thoughts regardless.

" _That's Corneria?!"_ he asked in awe.

"It's my home planet," Bill answered. "I owe everything to it; I was born there. And when I joined the Flight Academy, I swore I'd lay down my life for it…"

The swirling white and grey clouds over deep blue seas enchanted Ariki like a fisherman's lure. _"It's beautiful, and unspoiled. A whole other planet untouched by my destructive people, or poisoned by yours; a second Cerinia."_ He stared sideways at 19 with longing, who in turn seemed uneasy. _"_ Our _Cerinia…"_

But where Ariki saw a breathtaking new world to inhabit, Bill saw visions of wastelands and burning cities; the Cerinia he feared it would become.

" _You're afraid…"_

Bill tensed, feeling Ariki's increased presence within his mind. The Cerinian turned to face him, icy cold stare penetrating to his deepest nerve. _"You think I'll single-handedly destroy your precious home – just like you did mine. Is that it, Captain?"_ He lowered his voice and glared at Bill. _"You would deserve it. You_ all _do. Perhaps I'll never know what happened to Cerinia. I'll never know which military leaders or power-hungry politicians specifically are responsible. I'll never see their faces. I'll never know their names. But that's okay. When I make your planet mine, none of your people will ever see my face. And they damn well won't know my name, either."_

The canine tensed. Instinctively he reached for the gun in his hip holster, but Ariki had already taken it hours earlier.

The Cerinian smiled wickedly, as if Bill were a silly child. _"And still you entertain the impossibility of killing me. I love seeing your people squirm against the monsters you yourselves created. How's it feel being powerless, Bill? How does it feel being a captain who can't even kill a former sales clerk? I'm not proud of who I used to be. I come from nothing, but as long as I can grind you lower into the dirt with the stain of embarrassment I call my past, I don't really care."_

Regardless of his taunts, Bill's mind continued to race for ideas. He could have the _Justice_ open fire to obliterate the shuttle-

" _Your crew would never sacrifice their captain or 19, who they need to complete their silly mission. Besides, I'd simply turn aside whatever they threw my way."_

He could tell the ROB unit to crash the ship somewhere-

" _I'd take control and drag us through the portal myself."_

The muscles in Bill's fingers tensed, transforming them to quivering talons. He'd like nothing more than to-

" _No, you'd never be able to strangle me, or even get within arm's reach before I remotely crushed your skull."_ He crossed his arms, smugly, like a chess grandmaster who had just cornered his opponent. _"It's over, Bill. There's nothing more you can do. So why not admit it and just enjoy the ride?"_

Sensing the tension between them, 19 got up and lay a calming hand on Bill's shoulder. The soldier looked back with a grimace, but then he saw her eyes; she couldn't speak his language, or transmit her thoughts like Ariki could, but those eyes pleaded with him to back down before he got hurt. Sighing, Bill took comfort in her simple touch. He relaxed his hands and tried to think about anything other than violently murdering their shared captor.

" _Approaching gate, distance: 50 meters,"_ ROB's synthesized voice spoke.

Ariki turned round, shifting his attention back to the glowing doorway. On the other side he could make out the sprawling donut-shaped space station that was Beltino's Orbital Gate. Together they saw the lanes of space traffic awaiting their turn to travel to the far corners of the Lylat, though from this distance they looked like caravan constellations of space-faring insects. Between their shuttle and the base, however, loomed three imposing military cruisers.

The Cerinian took a step back when he saw them, then crouched and spread his arms. Bill felt a rush of energy pass through him, and the space outside the window began to faintly waver as if distorted by rising heat.

" _I've thrown up a barrier in case those ships try anything, or the_ Justice _attempts to shoot us in the back. Just a precaution of course."_

" _Approaching gate, distance: 20 meters,"_ ROB informed them. He approached the door at an agonizingly-slow pace, as Bill had cautioned him to do. But the moments dragged on, the seconds ticking away slower and slower as they drew nearer. As a result, Bill, 19, and Ariki all felt on edge.

A communications light blinked, indicating the ship was receiving a transmission. The filtered voice of Dr. Makepeace came through the cockpit's speakers.

" _Ariki,"_ she said, _"I did my best to match wits with your raw power, but it was hardly even a contest. I wanted to at least thank you for a very enjoyable game. As someone who worked closely with Cerinians for over a decade, I can't help but feel a bit of sympathy for you. I hope you find a new, peaceful life for yourself and 19 wherever you go. So please, be free."_

The doctor's well-wishes caught Bill by surprise, as well as Ariki, who, not being near Makepeace to read her mind, had to glean the meaning from the canine's instead. He spoke aloud in Cerinian as usual. _"I know I can't translate my meaning to you from this distance, but if you can understand Cerinian, I thank you for your cooperation. And, if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't be disappointed to learn you completed your mission in the near future."_

" _Distance: 10 meters,"_ ROB interrupted.

Makepeace spoke hurriedly now. _"Bill, whatever happens from here on out, do not attempt to interfere. Let Ariki go. There's nothing we can do. I'm afraid this is_ **checkmate**."

For some reason that last word sounded ten-times louder in Bill's mind. It echoed incessantly and refused to leave his thoughts.

Then, it struck him like a lightning bolt.

One after another, almost faster than he could comprehend, a quick progression of images flashed through his head; him discussing something with Makepeace in the cargo hold; a holographic blueprint of the shuttle and warp gate; an odd-smelling, briny-tasting pill in his open palm; and finally a projector on the wall, with Makepeace sitting off to the side, speaking quietly while cloaked in darkness. Involuntarily he imagined a black and white chessboard rotating on the projector. His mind's eye zoomed in close, flying over the individual squares. They flashed by like streaks of paint on the road beneath a car. They filled his vision entirely with black, then white; black and white, **black** and _white_ , **black** _white_ **black** _white_ -

And then it clicked. He didn't need to come up with a plan to kill Ariki.

He was already executing it.

" _Distance to gate closed; now crossing into the Lylat System."_

Bill ceased to think. All he did was act.

While Ariki was distracted by the view from the window, the canine wordlessly took ahold of 19's arm and pulled her backwards out of the cockpit and into the troop bay. Once there he jammed his fist into the button that closed the doors.

Ariki's ear twitched and he whirled around, suddenly suspicious now that they had left him alone. He stepped towards them but the doors closed in front of his feet.

Bill heard Ariki's voice in his mind as loud as ever, no matter that there were doors between them. _"What are you trying to pull, Captain?!"_

In an instant Bill realized he had acted too soon. He felt invisible fingers clamp down around his throat, choking him. He was dragged across the floor and against the other side of the door, watching Ariki through the window with fading vision as his throat began to collapse. He coughed and grasped at his neck, but once again his fingers found nothing physical to fight.

"BILL!" he heard 19 scream, then felt her desperate grip on his arm as she tried to pull him free from the door.

Then the threshold of the gate passed over them, and the cockpit half of the shuttle entered Lylat. Without warning the emerald circle shrunk around the ship, collapsing to an infinitesimal point before completely vanishing. The portal closed, sawing off the cockpit as cleanly as if it had been a 2-dimensional knife. ROB, the orbital gate, and Corneria all vanished, leaving only Ariki behind. The Cerinian's face contorted into a snarl as Bill's throat caved-

Then, all at once, the pressure vanished. Ariki's face morphed from the snarl to pure terror, seemingly frozen. Spherical droplets of blood began to fly from his back in every direction, wavering back and forth in zero gravity as the vacuum of space pulled them free. The force of the oxygen scattering from what little remained of the cloven cockpit pulled the Cerinian free from the door. His body floated out into space, turning slightly to reveal his back half was simply missing; cut cleanly away when the gate closed.

Bill collapsed to the shuttle's metal deck, gasping desperately for air. For a second he lay there on his back, staring up at 19's horrified face. While he struggled in futility to swallow, he wondered for a second if she would resent him for killing another Cerinian – this time right in front of her. Would she hate him now? Had she secretly been enamored by Ariki's promise of freedom? Did she feel guilty for betraying her own people, after everything had finally been revealed to her?

But 19 dismissed those fears completely. Snapping out of her terrified stupor, she sat down and raised Bill's head into her lap. Frantically she undid the buttons around his neck and ripped his collar open, better enabling him to breathe. Then for a few seconds Bill lay there, just trying to replenish his air supply. Thankfully it seemed easier and easier with each breath he managed, till his lungs found their usual gentle rhythm.

"Thank you," Bill coughed, looking up at her gratefully.

But 19 shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "Nīe, dangatō _siekim,_ fi rekyū tashich."

Her meaning was lost on him, but her tone felt reassuring all the same.

 _Checkmate…_ Makepeace's last word came back to him again, continuing to reawaken a dearth of memories he'd forgotten he had. It was like waking up and trying to recall the dreams you had in reverse order, each surreal event a clue to remembering the one before it. After he'd left Fay and Makepeace hours prior, the doctor had sought him out again in private. They never stopped planning; he'd only forgotten it.

With a green flash the portal reopened a passage to Corneria, though Bill couldn't see through the window in the door because of his prone position. Momentarily his wrist unit buzzed and he answered it, once again hearing Makepeace's voice.

" _Captain Grey, are you alright?!"_

"I'm fine," Bill sighed. "Tell everyone Ariki is dead."

He heard Makepeace release a similar sigh of relief, followed by a throng of cheers the mic picked up in the background. _"Then your plan was a success."_

The canine's eyebrows raised. " _My_ plan?"

 _"Of course. I merely told you I could block off your memories. You were the one who came up with Ariki's coup de grace. I must say, Captain, that was a very daring stunt you pulled. It appears when we set our minds to it, we work well together as a team."_

Bill grinned, impressed with his past self's ingenuity. He found it hard to believe at first, but the more he concentrated the more memories he rediscovered; the memories Makepeace had cordoned off.

"I guess we do work well together – as long as we don't _know_ we're working together."

The vixen chuckled. _"Yes, an important distinction, isn't it?_ _…_ _Bill, the Gate has General Pepper on call. He wants to know what this ordeal was all about. Should I debrief him, or do you feel in a suitable condition to talk to him now?"_

"It's alright Doctor, I'll take the call."

" _As you wish. Patching him through to your PDU…"_

In preparation, Bill sucked in a deep breath and sat up. 19 slung his arm around her shoulders and helped him stand. The Captain leaned against the door, resting the arm with his wrist unit on the frame beneath the window. He looked out, glad to see the gate traffic moving along as if it were business as usual.

" _Bill, what in blazes is going on up there?! I was preparing to leave for a UPL conference when I got a call from the gate saying you had returned in a shuttle and requested very specific instructions."_

"I'm sorry General," the bulldog started, "but the mission experienced a setback. We allowed a powerful Cerinian to board the ship and take command. We tried to stop him, but there was nothing we could do. Every move we made he easily countered. He…he was able to read our minds, allowing him to predict everything we did. I know it sounds hard to believe, but-"

" _A Cerinian boarded your ship?!"_ Pepper exclaimed. _"And you_ survived?! _Bill, very rarely has anyone stood toe-to-toe with a psychic Cerinian and lived to tell of it, yet that's twice now that you have. How did you manage it?"_

Bill felt relieved the General wasn't mad about his handling of the mission, or how he'd technically gotten the _Justice_ into the whole situation by flying too close to the ground. He licked his lips and explained.

"Well sir, as I said he could read our minds. It was hard for us to come up with any plan that wouldn't further jeopardize the mission, let alone one that would work without him catching on. But Dr. Makepeace sought me out when we were alone. She explained she'd learned many psychological tactics – both as a therapist working with returning soldiers and as a scientist on the Cerinia project. Among those skills she learned hypnotherapy, as well as how to guard her thoughts from nosy Cerinians. She was perhaps the only person on the entire ship whose inner mind was safe from our unwanted hitchhiker. She said if we could brainstorm a plan together, she'd block off my memories of it via hypnosis until I needed to act."

" _Marvelous woman, isn't she?"_ Pepper chuckled. _"I hope this has proven to you how much of an asset she is for the mission."_

"Indeed, she is sir." Bill continued, "Once we had a safe way to plan and execute a trap without the Cerinian finding out about it, I suggested we use the collapse of the gate portal to kill him. What inspired me was seeing a cargo transport sawed in half when we ordered the gate prematurely closed to stop McCloud's escape. The Cerinian effortlessly countered everything we threw at him; lasers, missiles, knives, guns – even poison. But I knew he would have no concept of how the gate worked, nor how to defend against it. I also knew he'd take myself as a hostage. When the gate first opened, Makepeace secretly radioed through, ordering the gate operators to close the portal on the head of the shuttle. Once we got close enough to the gate, she called our ship to tell me the trigger word, and, well, I simply acted according to her conditioning. I saved 19 by moving both of us out of the cockpit and killed the Cerinian by having the gate close around it. He revealed his weakness himself; he didn't know how to survive in space, or he wouldn't have needed the _Justice_ to get off Cerinia."

" _Remarkable thinking,"_ Pepper marveled. _"Well, let that be a valuable lesson to you. Never underestimate a Cerinian. How much time did you lose because of him?"_

"Nearly a day, sir," Bill somberly admitted, "in addition to several of my pilots. I'm sorry, sir, I was too eager to prove myself to you. I risked too much…But I also have good news to report. 19 found a direct lead on 28. She sensed her presence on the outskirts of a desert. I think we'll have her within the next few days!"

" _Well…it appears your dangerous gambit paid off! That_ is _great news! Perhaps it was better that you ran into a Cerinian before #28 so you'd come better prepared. And I suppose an award is in order since you put your life on the line to protect your men and homeplanet. While we are all eager to recover Cerinian 28, I expect you are a bit stressed after the ordeal with the hijacker. If it would be helpful, I will give you clearance to dock for the rest of the day at the Gate before setting out again. What do you say to that, Captain?"_

For a moment the shuttle hovered on the threshold of the gate, kept in place by the stabilizing thrusters – half in and half out of the Lylat System. The offer certainly sounded tempting to Bill's ears. It was weeks since they'd been back in the Lylat System; an entire month spent cooped up on the ship. He knew his men could use the break, as well as the chance to socialize with others besides the crew of the _Justice_ and Husky and Bulldog units. But ultimately…

"Thank you sir. I appreciate your offer, but I think it would be best for me to decline. It's hard to rest knowing 28 is so close within our reach. I think everyone aboard the _Justice_ is eager to finish the search as soon as possible. But, more importantly…there are some men we left behind; pilots who could still be alive, or at the very least, bodies we need to collect for burial. If there's any chance they could still be living, we need to check on them first."

" _Understood, Captain; I admire your dedication. Godspeed, and may you have similar success during the rest of your mission. Pepper out!"_

Bill turned and hugged 19, grateful for both of them to be alive. He was so scared of losing her to Ariki – perhaps more so than anyone else. He caught the Cerinian off-guard at first, who raised her hands to balance herself, then awkwardly returned the hug. Bill hoped she felt safe with him now…

His radio buzzed again, and this time Fay's voice came through, carrying a scolding bite. _"Bill, I'm so glad you're alright! Makepeace filled us in on everything while you were talking with the General. I can't believe you tried anything so dangerous and stupid! You almost got yourself_ killed _with a stunt like that!"_

"Really Fay, it was the only way to-"

" _Yeah-yeah, you can make excuses once we're back aboard the_ Justice. _I'm coming for you now in another shuttle. It's a good thing the only person we lost was an impounded ROB unit…"_

19 helped Bill to the rear of the transport shuttle, and sure enough they saw a second ship on its way to pick them up.

"Thanks for coming out here yourself Fay," Bill smiled stupidly. "Let's head back to the desert as fast as we can. There's still a chance Miyu's alive, and after we pick her up we can head straight for 28 – and _Fox."_

X

After Grimmer and his men finally left her apartment, Pukes remained tied to the chair, crying into the emptiness until she couldn't anymore. Because of the overdose of Corruption she seemed to drift in and out of her body, wandering the nearby streets as a phantom, looking for anyone to visit. Usually when she had a smaller dose she could attune her feelings to the emotions and thoughts of those around her; experiencing their struggles, their joys, their fears, and their hopes, and not feel so alone.

But today there was no one nearby to haunt. Everyone it seemed steered clear of the ramshackle apartment in the middle of the block; even her neighbors. They fled the streets and cowered inside their homes, fearing Grimmer's wrath. Such was becoming the norm under his gang's reign. For Pukes, the hours felt like an eternity in her current state. And when she finally found her soul returning to her body, she couldn't tear her arms free from the ropes that bound them. There was nothing to do but sit and ride out the rest of the trip in solitude.

Night fell over District 13. As soon as the sun set and there was nothing left to light the murky clouds, Falco and Katt made their walk to her apartment. Pukes had never felt so relieved to hear the sound of their voices calling her name. First their desperate knocks came at the front door, followed by muffled voices when she didn't answer. She felt confident they would figure out what had happened. And before the minute was out they went around to the back alley, where they didn't have to knock; the door was off its hinges.

"Pukes!" cried Katt as she rushed to her side, boots crushing glass and fragments of wood along the way.

The green-furred vixen wanted to cry, but there wasn't anything left; she merely felt numb. Falco stepped in and stared open-beaked at the damage wrought on her apartment, making the connection that his cook could have easily wound up in pieces along with the rest of the furniture. When the initial shock wore off he dashed to her side as well. Falco used a pocket knife to cut through her rope bindings while Katt slashed through them with her claws.

Finally when the vixen was free Katt threw her arms around her, and Pukes rested her head on her shoulder, grateful for the comforting embrace. It felt so good to finally be in the company of friends again, after the pills amplified how lonely and helpless she was that morning.

"It's alright Pukes, we're here," Katt whispered to her while rubbing her back. "No one else will hurt you now."

Still in shock Falco stuttered, "What…how did…what happened here?"

"It was Grimmer," Pukes finally managed to say. "He broke in without any warning and tied me up."

"Did they hurt you?!" Katt demanded. She pulled back and gently took the vixen's face in her hands, turning it different ways in the light to look for wounds. She sucked in a breath when she noticed a bruise forming beneath her eye.

"No – at least, they could have done much worse. But they didn't. They overdosed me on Corruption, then forced me to watch as they tore up the apartment…"

"Did Grimmer say anything to you?" Falco prodded.

"He said to tell you he knows the Free Birds are back, and he knows all about Corruption. He'll be ready whenever you want to face him on the streets in the open."

Falco rubbed his hands over his face, looking around the room with consternation. It was clear their cover had been blown, and the time for preparations was up. Either they'd go up against Grimmer's gang with what little resources they'd managed to cultivate, or flee District 13 entirely. Grimmer had spared the rest of the Free Birds after Falco left the first time. He'd given them a second chance; there wouldn't be a third.

While surveying the damage to the living room, Falco stopped, eyes fixated on something along the wall behind Pukes.

"Oh no…"

The vixen slowly turned her head to look. Her eyes traced along a coiling pattern of black paint streaked across the walls, punctuated with what looked like fins and scales. The coils grew thickest right before ending in a messy fish head, painted with a freakishly-wide jaw with teeth longer than fingers, and a wide, empty eye the size of a dinner plate.

It was the sign of the Black Dragonfish; the criminal syndicate that controlled District 13's underground, operating in the shadows the Bureau dared not touch. The Yin to the government's Yang.

"So it wasn't a rumor," Falco murmured. "Grimmer really does have their support…"

Katt let go of Pukes and stood up, pointing an accusatory finger at Falco. "I _told_ you this was a bad idea from the start! _Now_ will you listen to me?! Now that everything's beginning to crash down? Pukes could have been-"

Here she caught herself and glanced down at the green-furred vixen, whose ears were flattened dejectedly against her skull. She lowered her voice. "She could have been hurt – or much worse, if Grimmer didn't have his pride. You know the two of you approach the north end the same way; you treat it like a game! Only the stakes can never be high enough to satisfy you. How far will you go? When will you get your fill? Don't you realize how much you're endangering our lives?!"

Pukes closed her eyes and tilted her head down, expecting Falco to yell back at Katt and continue in a pointless shouting match like she so often found them in. Yet…his return fire never came. She looked back up at Falco in surprise; he had stood there the entire time, not meeting her or Katt's eyes, just staring down at the floor and taking the feline's scorn.

"You're right," he finally said when the silence began to drag on. "Pukes, I'm sorry for putting you in a position like this. I never meant to endanger you – I should have been here to protect you. It wasn't right leaving you on your own. I was too ambitious; too confident. I should've known our operation couldn't go on like this forever. It's my fault this happened to you."

He shuffled over the carpet of debris and stood in front of the window, staring blankly out at what Pukes could only assume was the last vestige of his fading dream. Maybe it was the lingering effects of Corruption, but she could tell what he was feeling right now; the weight of having to take on a rival gang, the criminal underworld, and the corrupt government all at once. Lifting this floating isle of garbage from its own cesspool of decay looked more impossible every day. But Falco wouldn't give up on his home.

Pukes finally rose from her chair, muscles and joints aching from being restrained and seated so long. She rolled her neck and stretched, shaking the soreness away before setting off around the house. She went downstairs, gathering up what little lab equipment and supplies escaped the wrath of Grimmer's gang. She returned upstairs, dumping the equipment into a duffel bag, then lifting a rug to reveal a hidden stash beneath the floorboards.

Katt looked at her funny. "…What are you doing?"

"I'm salvaging whatever's left of my tools and ingredients. You don't think I'd give this up, do you?"

Shocked, the feline put her hands on Pukes' shoulders. "Whoa, wait a minute. Are you kidding?! After what happened today you _still_ want to continue this?"

"Katt, I don't think you understand. This is my _life._ I finally found something I believe in. Corruption's not just some recreational drug or a way for nobodies to escape the world. It's more than that; it connects people. It's bigger than the north end or District 13, or even all of Zoness – and just the fact that I have a hand in producing it makes my life feel worthwhile. For once I'm finally making a difference! I have something to be proud of, which is more than any other crummy cook here can say."

Falco turned back from the window. "Pukes…do you really mean that?"

"Of course. If it's alright with you two, I'd like to set my lab up in your garage. I want to keep making Corruption. I want to keep fighting alongside you, in my own way. And…" She clenched her fists, finally feeling anger boiling up inside. "I want revenge for what Grimmer did here, and this is the only way I know how. He just can't be allowed to rule the north end."

"You're…you're free to stay at my place," Katt began. "But…do you think it's such a good idea that we continue?"

"It's what we should have done from the beginning," Falco argued. "She'll be safer in the garage where we can protect her, and we won't have to smuggle ingredients and product back-and-forth to her apartment." He held his jacket open, revealing several bags of mushrooms to make his point – the ones they'd harvested the previous night.

"But Grimmer knows about us now!"

"Then it's time," Falco determined. "We'll come out in the open. Once I get a new bike, we'll meet them on the streets like Grimmer wants." He turned to glare defiantly at the head of the dragonfish painted on the wall. "And we'll show _them_ they bet on the wrong horse in this race."


End file.
